•I 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


AMERICAN   ORNITHOLOGY; 


OR 


THE  NATURAL  HISTORY 

OP  THE 

BIRDS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

ILLUSTRATED  WITH  PLATES 

ENGRAVED  AND  COLOURED    FROM  ORIGINAL    DRAWINGS    TAKEN 
FROM  NATURE. 

BY  ALEXANDER  WILSON. 


WITH  A  SKETCH  OF  THE  AUTHOR'S  LIFE, 
BY  GEORGE  ORD,  F.  L.  S.  &c. 


IN  THREE  VOLS.—  VOL.  I. 


PUBLISHED  BY  COLLINS  &  CO,  NEW  YORK, 

AND 

HARRISON  HALL,  PHILADELPHIA. 
1828. 


EASTERN  DISTRICT  OF  PENNSYLVANIA,  to  wit: 

BE  tT  REMEMBERED,  That  on  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  April,  in  the 
fifty-second  year  of  the  independence  of  the  United  States  of  America,  A. 
D.  1828,  HARRISON  HALL,  of  the  said  district,  hath  deposited  in  this  office 
the  title  of  a  book,  the  right  whereof  he  claims  as  Proprietor,  in  the  words 
following,  to  wit: 

American  Ornithology;  or  the  Natural  History  of  the  Birds  of  the  United  States. 
Illustrated  with  plates  engraved  and  coloured  from  original  drawings  taken  from 
Nature.  By  Alexander  Wilson.  With  a  sketch  of  the  Author's  Life,  by  George 
Ord,  F.  L.  S.  Sfc.  Jn  three  Volumes.— Vol.  I. 

In  conformity  to  the  act  of  the  congress  of  the  United  States,  entitled 
"  An  act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of 
maps,  charts,  and  books  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies  du- 
ring the  times  therein  mentioned." — And  also  to  the  act,  entitled,  "  An 
act  supplementary  to  an  act,  entitled,  "  An  act  for  the  encouragement  of 
learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of  maps,  charts,  and  books,  to  the  authors 
and  proprietors  of  such"  copies  during  the  times  therein  mentioned,  and 
extending  the  benefits  thereof  to  the  arts  of  designing,  engraving,  and 
etching  historical  and  other  prints." 

D.  CALDWELL, 
Clerk  of  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


YY 

\ 

v.l 


CONTENTS  OF  VOL.  I. 

Page. 

EDITOR'S  PREFACE,          .....  v 

Preface  to  the  Life  of  Wilson,            ...  vii 

Sketch  of  the  Life  of  Wilson,      -  ix 

Introduction,              -  -     1 

VultUT  aura,  Turkey  Vulture  or  Turkey-buzzard,  13 

jota,  Black  Vulture  or  Carrion-crow,           -  -    20 

Falco  peregrinus,  Great-footed  Hawk,     -            -  30 

Sparverius,  American  Sparrow  Hawk,  female,  -    38 

male,  -          42 

Columbarius,  Pigeon  Hawk,  -  -    44 

leucocephalus,  White-headed  or  Bald  Eagle,      -  46 

ossifragus,  Sea  Eagle,         *            „            .  .        57 

fulvus,  Ring-tail  Eagle,              ...  54 

halicetus,  Fish-Hawk  or  Osprey,     -            -  -    67 

atricapillus,  Ash-coloured  or  Black-cap  Hawk,  -    80 

borealis,  Red-tailed  Hawk,             -            -  -         82 

Leverianus,  American  Buzzard,         -            -  -    85 

Fennsylvanicus,  Slate-coloured  Hawk,      -  -         87 

velox,  Sharp-shinned  Hawk,               -<          -  -    89 

Pennsylvania?,  Broad-winged  Hawk,       -  -         92 

furcatus,  Swallow- tailed  Hawk,         .            -  -    95 

Mississippiensis,  Mississippi  Kite,                       .  93 

lagopus,  Rough-legged  Falcon,         -  -    101 

niger,  Black  Hawk,  103 

variety,              -            -  -    105 

hyemalis,  Winter  Falcon,            -            -  107 

lineatus,  Red-shouldered  Hawk,       -            -  -     109 

uliginosus,  Marsh  Hawk,                        -            -  m 

Striae  nyctea,  Snow  Owl,  -      1 14 

Hudsonia,  Hawk  Owl,                                        -  us 

nebulosa,  Barred  Owl,          -            -            -  -      121 


iv  CONTENTS  OF  VOL.  I. 

Strix  flammed,  White  or  Barn  Owl,  124 

passerina,  Little  Owl,                                   .  -       129 

brachyotos,  Short-eared  owl,      -  -             131 

Virginiana,  Great-horned  Owl,      -  133 

otus,  Long-eared  Owl,               -  138 

ncevia,  Mottled  Owl,  ...      149 

asio,  Red  Owl,                           ...  143 

Lanius  excubitor,  Great  American  Shrike  or  Butcher-bird,     145 

Carolinensis,  Loggerhead  Shrike,  151 

1'sittacus  Carolinensis,  Carolina  Parrot,   -  -     153 

Corvus  cor  ax,  Raven,  .             164 

corone,  Crow,       -                                      *  -       171 

Columbianus,  Clark's  Crow,               -  180 

ossifragus,  Fish  Crow,      -  -       182 

pica,  Magpie>  185 

cristatus,  Blue  Jay,  -       189 

Canadensis,  Canada  Jay,      -  198 

Oriolus  Baltimorus,  Baltimore  Oriole,  male,  -       201 

female,  -  207 

mutatus,  Orchard  Oriole  209 

Gracula  ferruginea,  Rusty  Grakle,  -    219 

quiscala,  Purple  Grakle,         -  222 

Cuculus  Carolinensis,  Yellow-billed  Cuckoo,  -    229 

erythropthalmus,  Black-billed  Cuckoo,  231 


EDITOR'S  PREFACE. 

IN  preparing  for  the  press  this  edition  of  Wilson's  Ornitho- 
logy, the  editor  has  adhered  to  the  original  text,  correcting 
only  some  erroneous  references,  and  a  few  verbal  inaccuracies, 
most  of  which  were  probably  typographical  errors. 

Wilson,  in  his  introduction,  mentions  its  being  desirable, 
that  the  birds  should  be  arranged  scientifically;  and  takes  no- 
tice of  the  causes,  that  rendered  it,  at  that  time,  impracticable. 
In  fact,  he  was  obliged  to  figure  and  describe  his  birds,  nearly 
in  the  order  in  which  he  obtained  them;  and  was,  therefore, 
often  compelled  to  place  together  those  of  the  most  dissimilar 
habits  and  characters,  and  to  separate  the  male  and  female  of 
the  same  species.  In  arranging  them  in  proper  order,  the  edi- 
tor believes  that  he  is  merely  accomplishing  that,  which  the 
author  himself  would  have  done,  had  he  lived  to  prepare  ano- 
ther edition.  That  the  value  of  the  work  is  thus  much  enhan- 
ced, is  too  evident  to  require  comment. 

The  classification  of  Latham  having  been  adopted  by  Wilson, 
has  been  followed  by  the  editor,  not  because  he  considers  it 
the  best,  but  for  the  reason  just  mentioned;  and  also  because 
there  has  not  been  any  arrangement,  hitherto  proposed,  entirely 
free  from  objections.  In  the  notes,  however,  the  most  import- 
ant recent  improvements  in  classification  have  been  pointed 
out;  the  errors  committed  by  Wilson,  in  consequence  of  his  not 
being  able  to  procure  specimens  for  comparison,  and  books  for 
reference,  have  been  corrected;  and  additional  synonymes 
given.  For  these  improvements,  the  editor  must  acknowledge 
himself  to  be,  in  great  measure,  indebted  to  the  "  Observations 
on  the  Nomenclature  of  Wilson's  Ornithology,  by  Charles  L. 
Bonaparte,"  in  the  Journal  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences 


vi  EDITOR'S  PREFACE. 

of  Philadelphia,  volumes  in  and  iv;  the  "  Synopsis  of  the 
Birds  of  the  United  States,"  by  the  same  author,  in  the  Annals 
of  the  Lyceum  of  Natural  History  of  New  York;  but  princi- 
pally to  George  Ord,  Esq.  the  friend  and  associate  of  Wilson, 
who  has  kindly  afforded  his  valuable  counsel  and  assistance,  and 
has  added  some  highly  interesting  notes. 

Mr.  Ord  has  likewise  permitted  the  birds,  contained  in  his 
supplementary  volume,  to  be  incorporated  with,  and  his  sketch 
of  the  life  of  Wilson  to  be  prefixed  to,  the  work. 

The  original  plates,  engraved  under  the  eye  of  Wilson,  are 
employed  in  this  edition,  after  having  been  carefully  examined 
and  retouched  by  Mr.  Alexander  Lawson,  by  whom  most  of 
them  were  executed;  and  who  as  an  engraver  of  objects  of  natu- 
ral history,  stands  unrivalled. 

The  birds  have  been  coloured  by  skilful  artists,  from  recent 
specimens,  or  from  the  beautiful  preparations  belonging  to  the 
Philadelphia  Museum.  The  improvements  made  in  the  arts 
within  the  last  few  years,  have  removed  many  of  the  difficul- 
ties that  Wilson  encountered  in  this  department;  and  it  is  there- 
fore confidently  believed  that  in  the  permanency,  brilliancy  and 
accuracy  of  the  colouring,  the  plates  of  the  present  edition  are, 
at  least,  not  inferior  to  those  of  the  original. 


PREFACE 

TO 

THE  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

IN  the  preface  to  the  first  edition  of  this  biographical  sketch, 
the  motives  of  the  publication  are  stated,  and  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances under  which  its  author  was  placed,  in  respect  to  materi- 
als, are  detailed;  there  is,  therefore,  no  need  of  repeating  them. 

It  has  been  thought  proper  to  augment  the  volume,  by  a  se- 
lection from  the  series  of  interesting  letters,  which  were  put  into 
the  writer's  hands  by  some  of  Wilson's  personal  friends,  who 
were  anxious  that  these  memorials  should  not  be  lost.  It  may  be, 
perhaps,  objected,  that  some  of  them  are  of  too  trifling  a  nature 
for  publication;  but  let  it  be  observed  that  they  all,  more  or  less, 
tend  to  throw  light  upon  the  employments,  and  peculiarities  of 
character,  of  an  individual  of  no  every  day  occurrence;  one  of 
those  to  whose  genius  we  would  render  homage,  and  the  memory 
of  whom  we  delight  to  cherish. 

For  the  particulars  of  Wilson's  early  life,  the  writer  has  been 
indebted  to  a  narrative,  in  manuscript,  which  was  communicated 
to  him  by  Mr.  William  Duncan.  This  information,  coming  from 
a  nephew  of  Wilson's,  and  his  confidential  friend  for  many 
years,  must  be  deemed  authentic;  and  we  have  to  regret  that 
the  plan  and  limits  of  our  publication,  did  not  allow  us  to  make  a 
freer  use  of  what  was  so  kindly  placed  at  our  disposal. 

To  Mr.  Duncan,  Mr.  Miller,  and  Mr.  Lawson,  the  writer 
owes  many  obligations,  for  the  promptitude  with  which  they  in- 
trusted to  him  their  letters;  and  his  acknowledgments  are  equally 
due  to  Colonel  Robert  Carr,  who  furnished  him  with  the  letters 
to  the  late  William  Bartram.  The  friendship  which  subsisted 
between  Wilson  and  the  latter  was  of  the  most  exalted  kind;  and 
the  warm  expression  of  confidence  and  regard  which  characterize 
these  letters,  will  afford  a  proof  of  how  much  of  the  writer's  hap- 
piness was  derived  from  this  amiable  intercourse.  The  reader's 
obligations  to  Colonel  Carr  will  not  be  lessened,  when  it  is  sta- 


Viii  PREFACE. 

ted,  that  the  greater  part  of  these  interesting  epistles  were  mis- 
laid during  the  latter  days  of  the  venerable  botanist  to  whom  they 
were  addressed;  and  that  it  was  through  the  care  of  the  above- 
mentioned  gentleman  they  were  rescued  from  oblivion. 

It  will  be  long  ere  the  lovers  of  science  will  cease  to  deplore 
the  event,  which  snatched  from  us  one  so  eminently  gifted  for 
natural  investigations,  by  his  zeal,  his  industry,  his  activity,  and 
his  intelligence;  one  who,  after  a  successful  prosecution  of  his 
great  undertaking  through  a  series  of  eventful  years,  was  de- 
prived of  his  merited  reward,  at  the  moment  when  he  was  about 
putting  the  finishing  hand  to  those  labours,  which  have  secured 
to  him  an  imperishable  renown.  "  The  hand  of  death,"  says 
Pliny,  "  is  ever,  in  my  estimation,  too  severe,  and  too  sudden, 
when  it  falls  upon  such  as  are  employed  in  some  immortal  work. 
The  sons  of  sensuality,  who  have  no  other  views  beyond  the  pre- 
sent hour,  terminate  with  each  day  the  whole  purpose  of  their 
lives;  but  those  who  look  forward  to  posterity,  and  endeavour  to 
extend  their  memories  to  future  generations  by  useful  labours; — 
to  such,  death  is  always  immature,  as  it  still  snatches  them  from 
amidst  some  unfinished  design." 

But  although  that  Being,  who  so  often  frustrates  human  pur- 
poses, thought  proper,  in  his  wisdom,  to  terminate  the  " unfin- 
ished design"  of  our  lamented  friend,  yet  were  his  aspirations 
after  an  honourable  distinction  in  society  fully  answered.  The 
poor  despised  weaver  of  Paisley  takes  his  rank  among  the  wri- 
ters of  our  country;  and  after  ages  shall  look  up  to  the  Father 
of  American  Ornithology,  and  bless  that  Providence,  which,  by 
inscrutable  ways,  led  him  to  the  only  spot,  perhaps,  of  the  civi- 
lized earth,  where  his  extraordinary  talents  would  be  encouraged 
to  develop  themselves,  and  his  estimable  qualities  of  heart 
would  be  duly  appreciated. 

Wilson  has  proved  to  us  what  genius  and  industry  can  effect 
in  despite  of  obstacles,  which  men  of  ordinary  abilities  would 
consider  insurmountable.  His  example  will  not  be  disregarded  j 
and  his  success  will  be  productive  of  benefits,  the  extent  of  which 
cannot  now  be  estimated. 


SKETCH 

OP 

THE  AUTHOR'S  LIFE. 


ALEXANDER  WILSON  was  born  in  the  town  of  Paisley,  in 
the  west  of  Scotland,  on  the  sixth  day  of  July,  1766.  His  fa- 
ther, who  was  also  named  Alexander,  followed  the  distilling 
business ;  an  humble  occupation,  which  neither  allowed  him 
much  time  for  the  improvement  of  his  mind,  nor  yielded  him 
much  more  than  the  necessaries  of  life.  He  was  illiterate  and 
poor;  and  died  on  the  5th  June,  1816,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
eight.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Jura,  one  of  the  Hebrides 
or  Western  Islands  of  Scotland.  She  is  said  to  have  been  a 
woman  of  delicate  health,  but  of  good  understanding;  and  pas- 
sionately fond  of  Scotch  music,  a  taste  for  which  she  early  in- 
culcated on  her  son;  who,  in  his  riper  years,  cultivated  it  as 
one  of  the  principal  amusements  of  his  life.  She  died  when 
Alexander  was  about  ten  years  old,  leaving  him,  and  two  sis- 
ters, to  mourn  their  irreparable  loss;  a  loss  which  her  affec- 
tionate son  never  ceased  to  deplore,  as  it  deprived  him  of  his 
best  friend;  one  who  had  fostered  his  infant  mind;  and  who 
had  looked  forward,  with  fond  expectation,  to  that  day, 

"  When,  clad  in  sable  gown,  with  solemn  air, 
"  The  walls  of  God's  own  house  should  echo  back  his  prayer:" 

for  it  appears  to  have  been  her  wish  that  he  should  be  edu- 
cated for  the  ministry. 

At  a  school  in  Paisley,  Wilson  was  taught  the  common  ru- 
diments of  learning.  But  what  proficiency  he  made,  whether 

he  was  distinguished  from  his  schoolmates  or  not,  my  memo- 
VOL.  i. — B 


x  LIFE  OF   WILSON. 

rials  of  his  early  life  do  not  inform  me.  It  appears  that  he  was 
initiated  in  the  elements  of  the  Latin  tongue;  but  having  been 
removed  from  school  at  the  age  of  twelve  or  thirteen,  the 
amount  of  knowledge  acquired  could  not  have  been  great;  and 
I  have  reason  to  believe  that  he  never  afterwards  resumed  the 
study.  His  early  productions  show  that  his  English  education 
had  not  only  been  greatly  circumscribed,  but  very  imperfect 
He  wrote,  as  all  self-taught  authors  write,  carelessly  and  incor- 
rectly; his  sentences,  constructed  by  the  ear,  often  displease 
one  by  their  gross  violations  of  the  rules  of  grammar;  an  essen- 
tial part  of  learning  to  which  he  never  seriously  applied  him- 
self, until,  after  his  arrival  in  America,  he  found  it  necessary 
to  qualify  himself  for  an  instructor  of  youth. 

Wilson's  father,  feeling  the  want  of  a  helper  in  the  govern- 
ment of  an  infant  family,  again  entered  into  the  matrimonial 
state.  The  maiden  name  of  this  second  wife  was  Brown. 

It  was  the  intention  of  the  father  that  Alexander  should  be 
educated  for  a  physician;  but  this  design  was  not  relished  by 
the  son,  who  had,  through  the  impertinent  interference  of  some 
persons,  imbibed  some  prejudices  against  the  profession,  which 
were  the  cause  of  the  project's  being  abandoned. 

It  being  the  wish  of  the  step-mother  that  the  boy  should  be 
put  to  a  trade,  he  was  accordingly  apprenticed  to  his  brother- 
in-law,  William  Duncan,  who  then  resided  in  Paisley,  to  learn 
the  art  of  weaving.  That  this  determination  was  the  result  of 
good  sense  there  can  be  no  doubt;  the  employment  had  the 
tendency  to  fix  a  disposition  somewhat  impetuous  and  waver- 
ing; and  the  useful  knowledge  acquired  thereby  he  was  ena- 
bled, at  a  subsequent  period  of  life,  to  turn  to  account,  when 
mental  exertion,  even  with  superior  resources,  would  have 
availed  him  but  little. 

The  scheme  of  being  taught  a  trade  met  with  little  or  no  op- 
position from  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  his  father's  house  no 
longer  affording  him  that  pleasure  which  it  had  done  during 
the  life  .of  her  who  had  given  him  existence.  Some  difference 
ha.d  arisen  between  him  and  his  step-mother;  whether  from 


LITE  OF  WILSON.  x'| 

undutiful  conduct  of  his,  or  harsh  treatment  of  hers,  I  know 
not;  but  it  may  be  asserted  with  truth,  that  she  continued  an 
object  of  his  aversion  through  life;  which  was  manifest  from 
the  circumstance  that,  in  the  many  letters  which  he  wrote  from 
America  to  his  father,  he  seldom,  if  ever,  mentioned  her  name. 
She  is  still  living,  and  must,  doubtless,  feel  not  a  little  rejoiced 
that  her  predictions  with  respect  to  the  "  lazy  weaver"  as 
Sandy  was  termed  at  home,  who,  instead  of  minding  his  busi- 
ness, mispent  his  time  in  making  verses,  were  never  verified. 
But,  in  justice  to  her  character,  we  must  state,  that,  if  she  was 
an  unkind  step-mother,  she  nevertheless  proved  herself  to  be 
a  faithful  and  affectionate  wife;  and  supported,  by  her  industry, 
her  husband  when  he  became,  by  age  and  infirmities,  incapa- 
ble of  labour. 

At  an  early  period  of  his  life  Wilson  evinced  a  strong  desire 
ibr  learning;  and  this  was  encouraged  by  a  spirit  of  emulation 
which  prevailed  among  his  youthful  acquaintance,  who,  like 
himself,  happily  devoted  many  of  their  vacant  hours  to  literary 
pursuits.  He  had  free  access  to  a  collection  of  magazines  and 
essays,  which,  by  some  good  luck,  his  father  had  become  pos- 
sessed of;  and  these,  as  he  himself  often  asserted,  "  were  the 
first  books  that  gave  him  a  fondness  for  reading  and  reflection." 
This  remarkable  instance  of  the  beneficial  tendency  of  periodi- 
cal publications  we  record  with  pleasure;  and  it  may  be  ad- 
duced as  an  argument  in  favour  of  affording  patronage,  in  our 
young  country,  to  a  species  of  literature  so  well  adapted  to  the 
leisure  of  a  commercial  people;  and  which,  since  the  days  of 
Addison,  has  had  so  powerful  an  influence  on  the  taste  and 
morals  of  the  British  nation. 

Caledonia  is  fruitful  of  versemen:  every  village  has  its  poets; 
and  so  prevalent  is  the  habit  of  jingling  rhymes,  that  a  scholar- 
is  considered  as  possessing  no  taste,  if  he  do  not  attune  the 
Scottish  lyre  to  those  themes,  which  the  amor  patrise,  the  na- 
tional pride  of  a  Scotsman,  has  identified  with  his  very  ex- 
istence. 

Thnt  poetry  would  attract  the  regard  of  Wilson  was  to  be  ex- 


xii  LIFE  OP  WILSON. 

pected;  it  was  the  vehicle  of  sentiments  which  were  in  unison 
with  his  sanguine  temperament;  he  had  early  imbibed  a  love 
of  virtue,  and  it  now  assumed  a  romantic  cast  by  assimilation 
with  the  high-wrought  efforts  of  fancy,  combined  with  the  me- 
lody of  song. 

After  an  apprenticeship  of  about  five  years,  Wilson  became 
his  own  master;  and,  relinquishing  the  occupation  of  weaving, 
he  resolved  to  gratify  his  taste  for  rural  scenery,  by  journey- 
ing into  the  interior  of  the  country,  in  the  capacity  of  a  pedler. 
He  was  now  about  eighteen,  full  of  ardour  and  vivacity;  had  a 
constitution  capable  of  great  exertion;  and  a  mind  which  pro- 
mised resources  amid  every  difficulty.  Having  been  initiated 
in  the  art  of  trading,  he  shouldered  his  pack,  and  cheerfully 
set  out  in  quest  of  riches.  In  a  mind  of  a  romantic  turn,  Scot- 
land affords  situations  abundantly  calculated  to  arouse  all  those 
associations  which  the  sublime  and  beautiful  in  nature  inspire. 
Wilson  was  an  enthusiast;  and  the  charms  of  those  mountains, 
vallies,  and  streams,  which  had  been  immortalized  in  song, 
filled  his  soul  with  rapture,  and  incited  some  of  the  earliest  ef- 
forts of  his  youthful  muse. 

To  him  who  would  accumulate  wealth  by  trade,  the  muses 
must  not  be  propitious.  That  abstraction  of  mind  from  world- 
ly concerns  which  letters  require,  but  ill  qualifies  one  to  de- 
scend to  those  arts,  which,  in  order  to  be  successfully  prac- 
tised, must  be  the  unceasing  objects  of  solicitude  and  attention. 
While  the  trader  was  feasting  his  eyes  upon  the  beauties  of  a 
landscape,  or  enditing  an  elegy  or  a  song,  the  auspicious  mo- 
ment to  drive  a  bargain  was  neglected,  or  some  more  fortunate 
rival  was  allowed  to  supplant  him.  From  the  habit  of  survey- 
ing the  works  of  nature  arose  an  indifference  to  the  employ- 
ment of  trading,  which  became  more  disgusting  at  each  inter- 
view with  the  muses;  and  nothing  but  the  dread  of  poverty  in- 
duced him  to  conform  to  the  vulgar  avocations  of  common  life. 

Burns  was  now  the  favourite  of  the  public;  and  from  the  un- 
exampled success  of  this  humble  son  of  genius,  many  aspired 
io  the  honours  of  the  laurel,  who  otherwise  would  have  con- 


LIFE  OP  WILSON.  xiii 

lined  their  views  of  renown  to  the  limited  circle  of  their  family 
or  acquaintance.  Among  this  number  may  be  reckoned  our 
Wilson;  who,  believing  that  he  possessed  the  talent  of  poetical 
expression,  ventured  to  exhibit  his  essays  to  his  friends,  whose 
approbation  encouraged  him  to  renewed  perseverance,  in  the 
hope  of  emerging  from  that  condition  in  society  which  his  as- 
piring soul  could  not  but  disdain. 

In  consequence  of  his  literary  attainments,  and  correct  moral 
deportment,  he  was  admitted  to  the  society  of  several  gentle- 
men of  talents  and  respectability,  who  descried  in  our  youth 
the  promise  of  eminence.  Flattered  by  attentions,  which  are 
always  grateful  to  the  ingenuous  mind,  he  was  imboldened  to 
the  purpose  of  collecting  and  publishing  his  poetical  attempts; 
hoping  thereby  to  secure  funds  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  per- 
severe in  the  walks  of  learning,  which,  to  his  glowing  fancy, 
appeared  to  be  strewed  with  flowers. 

In  pursuance  of  this  design  he  printed  proposals;  arid,  being 
"  resolved,"  to  adopt  his  own  language,  "to  make  one  bold 
push  for  the  united  interests  of  Pack  and  Poems,"  he  once  more 
vSet  out  to  sell  his  merchandise,  and  obtain  patronage  to  his  work. 

This  expedition  was  unprofitable:  he  neither  advanced  his 
fortune,  nor  received  the  encouragement  of  many  subscriptions. 
Fortunate  would  it  have  been  for  him,  if,  instead  of  giving 
vent  to  his  spleen  at  the  supposed  want  of  discernment  of  rising 
merit,  or  lack  of  taste  for  the  effusions  of  genius,  he  had  per- 
mitted himself  to  be  admonished  of  his  imprudence  by  the  in- 
difference of  the  public,  and  had  taken  that  for  an  act  of  friend- 
ship, which  his  wounded  feelings  did  not  fail  to  construe  into 
contempt. 

But  in  defiance  of  discouragement  he  published  his  volume, 
under  the  title  of  "  Poems,  Humorous,  Satirical  and  Serious. " 
The  writer  of  this  sketch  has  it  now  before  him;  and  finds  in  it 
the  following  remarks,  in  the  hand-writing  of  the  author  him- 
self: "  I  published  these  poems  when  only  twenty -two — an 
age  more  abundant  in  sail  than  ballast.  Reader,  let  this 
soften  the  rigor  of  criticism  a  little."  Dated,  "  GrayVFerrv. 


xiy  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

July  6th,  1804."  These  poerfis  were,  in  truth,  the  produc- 
tions of  a  boy,  who  composed  them  under  the  most  disadvan- 
tageous circumstances.  They  answered  the  purpose  for  which 
they  were  originally  intended:  to  gratify  the  partiality  of 
friendship,  and  alleviate  moments  of  solitude  and  despondency. 
Their  author,  in  his  riper  years,  lamented  his  rashness  in  giv- 
ing them  to  the  world;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  no  one  will 
be  so  officious  as  to  draw  them  from  that  obscurity  to  which 
he  himself  sincerely  rejoiced  to  see  them  condemned.  They 
went  through  two  small  editions  in  octavo,  the  last  of  which 
appeared  in  1791.  The  author  reaped  no  benefit  from  the 
publication. 

Mortified  at  the  ill  success  of  his  literary  undertaking,  and 
probably  with  the  view  of  withdrawing  himself  from  associates, 
who,  instead  of  advancing,  rather  tended  to  retard  his  studies. 
Wilson  retired  to  the  little  village  of  Lochwinnoch,  situated  in 
a  delightful  valley,  a  few  miles  from  Paisley.  In  this  seques- 
tered place  he  had  before  resided;  and  he  now  resorted  to  it, 
under  the  pressure  of  disappointment;  and  soothed  his  mind 
with  the  employment  of  letters;  and  spent  his  vacant  hours 
amid  the  romantic  scenery  of  a  country,  which  was  wrell  cal- 
culated to  captivate  one  who  had  devoted  himself  to  the  ser- 
vice of  the  muses. 

While  residing  at  Lochwinnoch  he  contributed  some  short 
prose  essays  to  the  Bee,  a  periodical  work  which  was  publish- 
ed at  Edinburgh  by  Dr.  Anderson.  Of  the  merits  of  these  es- 
says I  cannot  speak,  as  I  have  never  seen  them.  He  also  oc- 
casionally visited  the  latter  place,  to  frequent  the  Pantheon, 
wherein  a  society  for  debate  held  their  meetings.  In  this  as- 
sembly of  minor  wits  he  delivered  several  poetical  discourses, 
which  obtained  him  considerable  applause.  The  particulars  of 
these  literary  peregrinations  have  been  minutely  related  to 
me;  but,  at  this  time,  I  will  merely  state,  that  he  always  per- 
formed his  journeys  on  foot;  and  that  his  ardour  to  obtain  dis- 
tinction, drawing;  him  away  from  his  profession,  the  only 


OF  WILSON.  xv 

means  of  procuring  subsistence,  he  was  frequently  reduced  to 
the  want  of  the  necessaries  of  life. 

Wilson,  in  common  with  many,  was  desirous  of  becoming 
personally  acquainted  with  the  poet  Burns,  who  was  now  in 
the  zenith  of  his  glory;  and  an  accidental  circumstance  brought 
them  together.  The  interview  appeared  to  be  pleasing  to 
both;  and  they  parted  with  the  intention  of  continuing  their 
acquaintance  by  a  correspondence.  But  this  design,  though 
happily  begun,  was  frustrated  by  an  imprudent  act  of  the  for- 
mer, who,  in  a  criticism  on  the  tale  of  Tarn  O'Shanter,  re- 
marked of  a  certain  passage  that  there  was  "  too  much  of  the 
brute"  in  it.  The  paragraph  alluded  to  is  that  which  begins 
thus: 

*'  Now  Tarn,  O  Tarn!  had  tliae  been  queans." 

Burns,  in  reply,  observed:  "  If  ever  you  write  again  to  so  ir- 
ritable a  creature  as  a  poet,  I  beg  you  will  use  a  gentler  epithet 
than  to  say  there  is  too  much  of  the  brute  in  any  thing  he  says 
or  does."  Here  the  correspondence  closed. 

From  Lochwinnoch  Wilson  returned  to  Paisley;  and  again 
sought  subsistence  by  mechanical  labour.  But  at  this  period 
the  result  of  the  French  revolution  had  become  evident  by  the 
wars  enkindled  on  the  continent;  and  their  influence  on  the 
manufactures  of  Great  Britain,  particularly  those  of  Paisley, 
began  to  be  felt.  Revolution  principles  had  also  crept  in 
among  the  artisans,  which,  superadded  to  the  decline  of  busi- 
ness, were  the  means  of  many  being  thrown  out  of  stated  em- 
ployment; and  the  distress  of  others  was  not  a  little  aggravated 
by  exactions  which  it  was  supposed  neither  policy  nor  justice 
ought  to  have  dictated.  Hence  arose  a  misunderstanding  be- 
tween the  manufacturers  and  the  weavers,  which  soon  grew 
into  a  controversy,  that  awakened  the  zeal  of  both  parties;  and 
Wilson,  incited  by  principle,  as  well  as  interest,  remained  not 
idle  on  an  occasion  which  seemed  to  demand  the  exercise  of  his 
talents  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  and  the  oppressed. 

Among  the  manufacturers  there  was  one  of  considerable- 
wealth  and  influence:  who  had  risen  from  a  low  origin  by  a 


x^i  LIFE  OF   WILSON. 

Concurrence  of  fortunate  circumstances;  and  who  had  rendered 
Rimself  greatly  conspicuous  by  his  avarice  and  knavery.  This 
obnoxious  individual  was  arraigned  in  a  galling  satire,  written 
in  the  Scottish  dialect;  which  is  well  known  to  be  fertile  of 
terms  of  sarcasm  or  reproach.  The  piece  was  published  ano- 
nymously; and,  being  suited  to  the  taste  of  the  multitude,  was 
read  with  eagerness.  But  the  -subject  of  it,  stung  to  the  quick 
by  the  severity  of  the  censure,  sought  revenge  of  his  conceal- 
ed enemy,  who,  through  some  unforeseen  occurrence,  was  re- 
vealed in  the  person  of  Wilson.  A  prosecution  for  a  libel  was 
the  consequence  of  the  disclosure;  and  our  satirist  was  sen- 
tenced to  a  short  imprisonment,  and  to  burn,  with  his  own 
hands,  the  poem  at  the  public  cross  in  the  town  of  Paisley. 
Wilson  underwent  the  sentence  of  the  law,  surrounded  by  his 
friends,  a  gallant  and  numerous  band,  who  viewed  him  as  a 
martyr  to  the  cause  of  honour  and  truth;  and  who,  while  his 
character  was  exalted  in  their  opinion,  failed  not  to  stigma- 
tize that  of  his  adversary  in  all  the  bitterness  of  contempt, 
The  printer,  it  is  said,  was  fined  for  his  share  in  the  publica- 
tion. 

In  the  year  1792,  Wilson  wrote  his  characteristic  tale  of 
"  Watty  and  Meg,"  the  last  poem  which  he  composed  in  Scot- 
land. It  was  published  without  a  name;  and,  possessing  con- 
siderable merit,  was,  by  many,  attributed  to  Burns.  This  as- 
cription certainly  showed  a  want  of  discrimination,  as  this  pro- 
duction displays  none  of  those  felicities  of  diction,  none  of  that 
peculiar  intermixture  of  pathos  and  humour,  which  are  so  con- 
spicuous in  the  writings  of  Burns.  It  has  obtained  more  po- 
pularity in  Scotland  than  any  of  the  minor  essays  of  our  author; 
and  has  been  ranked  with  the  best  productions  of  the  Scottish 
muse. 

Cromek,  in  his  sketch  of  Wilson's  life,  adverting  to  the  pro- 
secution above  mentioned,  says,  that  "the  remembrance  of 
this  misfortune  dwelt  upon  his  mind,  and  rendered  him  dis- 
satisfied with  his  country.  Another  cause  of  Wilson's  dejec- 
tion was  the  rising,  fame  of  Burns,  and  the  indifference  of  the 


UFE  OF  WILSON. 

public  to  his  own  productions.  He  may  be  said  to  have  envied 
the  Ayrshire  bard,  and  to  this  envy  may  be  attributed  his  best 
production,  *  Watty  and  Meg,'  which  he  wrote  at  Edinburgh, 
in  1793  (1792.)  He  sent  it  to  Nielson,  printer,  at  Paisley, 
who  had  suffered  by  the  publication  of  his  former  poems.  As 
it  was,  by  the  advice  of  his  friends,  published  anonymously, 
it  was  generally  ascribed  to  Burns,  and  went  rapidly  through 
seven  or  eight  editions.  Wilson,  however,  shared  no  part  of 
the  profits,  willing  to  compensate  for  the  former  losses  his  pub- 
lisher had  sustained."* 

The  sketch  above  mentioned  the  author  of  this  narrative 
showed  to  Wilson,  and  the  latter  told  him  that  the  relation  was 
wanting  in  correctness.  He  pointedly  denied  the  charge  of 
envying  the  Ayrshire  bard,  and  felt  not  a  little  scandalized  at 
the  unworthy  imputation.  He  added,  that  no  one  entertained 
a  more  exalted  idea  of  Burns's  genius,  or  rejoiced  more  at  his 
merited  success,  than  himself. 

Wilson  now  began  to  be  dissatisfied  with  his  lot.  He  was 
poor,  and  had  no  prospect  of  bettering  his  condition  in  his  na- 
tive country.  Having  heard  flattering  accounts  of  America, 
he  conceived  the  design  of  emigrating  thither,  and  settling  in 
the  United  States. 

It  was  some  time  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1793  that  the 
resolution  was  formed  of  forsaking  the  land  of  his  forefathers. 
His  eye  having  been  accidentally  directed  to  a  newspaper  ad- 
vertisement, which  stated  that  the  American  ship  Swift  would 
sail  from  the  port  of  Belfast,  in  Ireland,  on  the  first  of  May 
following,  with  passengers  for  Philadelphia,  he  communicated 
his  scheme,  in  confidence,  to  his  nephew,  William  Duncan, 
then  a  lad  of  sixteen,  who  consented  to  become  his  fellow-tra- 
veller in  the  voyage;  and  an  agreement  was  entered  into  of  de- 
parting in  the  above  mentioned  ship. 

The  next  subject  of  consideration  was  the  procuring  of  funds: 
and  as  weaving  presented  the  most  eligible  plan  for  this  pur- 
pose, to  the  loom  Wilson  applied  himself,  for  four  months. 

*  Cromek's  «  Select  Scottish  Soi>gV'  vol.  2,  p.  214.     London,  1810. 
VY>L.    T. C 


xviii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

with  a  diligence  and  economy  almost  surpassing  belief;  the 
whole  of  his  expenses  during  this  period  amounting  to  less  than 
one  shilling  per  week. 

All  matters  being  finally  arranged,  he  set  out  on  foot  for 
Port  Patrick,  whence  he  embarked  for  Ireland.  On  reaching 
Belfast  it  was  found  that  the  ship  had  her  complement  of  pas- 
sengers; but,  rather  than  remain,  after  so  much  exertion,  Wil- 
son and  his  companion  consented  to  sleep  upon  deck,  and,  con- 
sequently, they  were  permitted  to  depart  in  the  ship,  which 
sailed  about  the  middle  of  May,  and  arrived  at  Newcastle,  in 
the  state  of  Delaware,  on  the  fourteenth  of  July,  1794. 

We  now  behold  Alexander  Wilson  in  a  strange  land;  with- 
out an  acquaintance  on  whose  counsels  and  hospitality  he  could 
rely  in  that  state  of  uncertainty  to  which,  having  no  particular 
object  in  view,  he  was  of  course  subjected;  without  a  single 
letter  of  introduction;  and  with  not  a  shilling  in  his  pocket* 
But  every  care  was  forgotten  in  his  transport  at  finding  him- 
self in  the  land  of  freedom.  He  had  often  cast  a  wishful  look 
towards  the  western  hemisphere,  and  his  warm  fancy  had  sug- 
gested the  idea,  that  among  that  people  only,  who  maintained 
the  doctrine  of  an  equality  of  rights,  could  political  justice  be 
found.  He  had  become  indignant  at  beholding  the  influence 
of  the  wealthy  converted  into  the  means  of  oppression ;  and  had 
imputed  the  wrongs  and  sufferings  of  the  poor,  not  to  the  con- 
dition of  society,  but  to  the  nature  and  constitution  of  the  go- 
vernment. He  was  now  free;  and  exulted  in  his  release,  as  a 
bird  rejoices  which  escapes  from  the  confinement  of  the  cage. 
Impatient  to  set  his  foot  upon  the  soil  of  the  New  World,  he 
landed  at  the  town  of  Newcastle;  and,  shouldering  his  fowling- 
piece,  he  directed  his  steps  towards  Philadelphia,  distant  about 
thirty-three  miles.  The  writer  of  this  biography  has  a  distinct 
recollection  of  a  conversation  with  Wilson  on  this  part  of  his 

*  This  is  literally  true.  The  money  which  bore  his  expenses  from  New- 
castle to  Philadelphia  was  borrowed  of  a  fellow  passenger.  The  same  gene- 
rous friend,  whose  name  was  Oliver,  made  him  subsequently  a  loan  of  cash 
to  enable  him  to  travel  into  Virginia. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xjx 

history,  wherein  he  described  his  sensations  on  viewing  the 
first  bird  that  presented  itself  as  he  entered  the  forests  of  Dela- 
ware; it  was  a  red-headed  woodpecker,  which  he  shot,  and 
considered  the  most  beautiful  bird  he  had  ever  beheld. 

On  his  arrival  at  Philadelphia,  he  deliberated  upon  the  most 
eligible  mode  of  obtaining  a  livelihood,  to  which  the  state  of 
his  funds  urged  immediate  attention.  He  made  himself  known 
to  a  countryman  of  his,  Mr.  John  Aitken,  a  copper-plate  prin- 
ter, who,  on  being  informed  of  his  destitute  situation,  gave  him 
employment  at  this  business,  at  which  he  continued  for  a  few 
weeks;  but  abandoned  it  for  his  trade  of  weaving,  having  made 
an  engagement  with  Mr.  Joshua  Sullivan,  who  resided  on  the 
Penny  pack  creek,  about  ten  miles  north  of  Philadelphia. 

The  confinement  of  the  loom  did  not  agree  either  with  Wil- 
son's habits  or  inclinations;  and  learning  that  there  was  consi- 
derable encouragement  afforded  to  settlers  in  Virginia,  he  mi- 
grated thither,  and  took  up  his  residence  near  Shepherd's 
Town,  in  that  part  of  the  state  known  by  the  name  of  New 
Virginia.*  Here  he  again  found  himself  necessitated  to  enr 
gage  in  the  same  sedentary  occupation;  and  soon  becoming  dis- 
gusted with  the  place,  he  returned  to  the  mansion  of  his  friend, 
Mr.  Sullivan. 

I  find  from  one  of  his  journals,  that,  in  the  autumn  of  the 
year  1795,  he  travelled  through  the  north  part  of  the  state  of 

*  The  habits  of  the  people  with  whom  Wilson  was  compelled  to  asso- 
ciate, in  this  section  of  the  state,  it  should  seem,  gave  him  no  satisfaction; 
and  the  life  he  led  added  not  a  little  to  the  chagrin  which  he  suffered  on  find- 
ing himself  an  alien  to  those  social  pleasures  which,  hitherto,  had  tended  to 
sweeten  his  existence.  His  letters  at  this  period  would,  no  doubt,  afford 
some  curious  particulars,  illustrative  of  his  varied  life;  but  none  of  them  have 
fallen  into  my  hands.  The  following  extract  from  some  of  his  manuscript 
verses  will  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  he  did  not  quit  Virginia  with  regret: 

"  Farewell  to  Virginia,  to  Berkley  adieu, 
Where,  like  Jacob,  our  days  have  been  evil  and  few! 
So  few — they  seem'd  really  but  one  lengthen'd  curse; 
And  so  bad — that  the  Devil  only  could  have  sent  worse." 


XX  LIFE  OP  WILSON. 

New  Jersey,  with  an  acquaintance,  in  the  capacity  of  a  pedler, 
and  met  with  tolerable  success. 

His  diary  of  this  journey  is  interesting.  It  was  written  with 
so  much  care,  that  one  is  tempted  to  conjecture  that  he  spent 
more  time  in  literary  occupation  than  in  vending  his  merchan- 
dise. It  contains  observations  on  the  manners  of  the  people; 
and  remarks  on  the  principal  natural  productions  of  New  Jer- 
sey; with  sketches  of  the  most  noted  indigenous  quadrupeds 
and  birds.  In  these  sketches  one  is  enabled  to  perceive  the 
dawning  of  that  talent  for  description,  which  was  afterwards 
revealed  with  so  much  lustre. 

On  his  return  from  this  trading  adventure,  he  opened  a  school 
on  the  Oxford  road,  about  five  miles  to  the  north  of  Frankford, 
Pennsylvania,  But  being  dissatisfied  with  this  situation,  he 
removed  to  Milestown,  and  taught  in  the  school-house  of  that 
village.  In  this  latter  place  he  continued  for  several  years ; 
and  being  deficient  in  the  various  branches  of  learning,  neces- 
sary to  qualify  him  for  an  instructor  of  youth,  he  applied  him- 
self to  study  with  great  diligence;  and  acquired  all  his  know- 
ledge of  the  mathematics,  which  was  considerable,  solely  by 
his  own  exertions.  To  teaching  he  superadded  the  vocation 
of  surveying;  and  was  occasionally  employed,  by  the  neigh- 
bouring farmers,  in  this  business. 

Whilst  residing  at  Milestown,  he  made  a  journey,  on  foot, 
to  the  Genessee  country,  in  the  state  of  New  York,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  visiting  his  nephew,  Mr.  William  Duncan,  who  re- 
sided upon  a  small  farm,  which  was  their  joint  property.  This 
farm  they  had  been  enabled  to  purchase  through  the  assistance 
of  Mr.  Sullivan,  the  gentleman  in  whose  employ  Wilson  had 
been,  as  before  stated.  The  object  of  this  purchase,  which 
some  might  deem  an  act  of  imprudence,  in  those  whose  slen- 
der funds  did  not  suffice  without  the  aid  of  a  loan,  was  to  pro- 
cure an  assylum  for  Mr.  Duncan's  mother,  and  her  family  of 
small  children,  whom  poverty  and  misfortune  had,  a  short 
time  before,  driven  to  this  country.  This  was  somewhat  a  fa- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  XXi 

1  iguing  journey  to  a  pedestrian,  who,  in  the  space  of  twenty- 
fight  days,  travelled  nearly  eight  hundred  miles. 

The  life  of  Wilson  now  becomes  interesting,  as  we  are  ena- 
bled, by  a  selection  from  his  letters,  to  present  him  to  the  rea- 
der as  his  own  biographer. 

TO    MR.    WM.    DUNCAN.* 

Milestown,  July  1,  1800. 
*<  Dear  Bill, 

"  I  had  the  pleasure  of  yours  by  the  hands  of  Mr.  P.  this 
day;  and  about  fours  weeks  ago  I  had  another,  directed  to  Mr. 
Dobson's  care,  both  of  which  were  as  welcome  to  me  as  any 
thing,  but  your  own  self,  could  be.  I  am  just  as  you  left  me, 
only  my  school  has  been  thinner  this  season  than  formerly. 

"  I  have  had  four  letters  from  home,  all  of  which  I  have  an- 
swered. Their  news  are — Dull  trade — provisions  most  exor- 
bitantly high — R.'s  sister  dead — the  Seedhills  mill  burnt  to  the 

ground — and  some  other  things  of  less  consequence. 

-x-  ***** 

"  I  doubt  much  if  stills  could  be  got  up  in  time  to  do  any 
thing  at  the  distilling  business  this  winter.  Perhaps  it  might 
be  a  safer  way  to  take  them  up,  in  the  spring,  by  the  Susque- 
hanna.  But  if  you  are  determined,  and  think  that  we  should 
engage  in  the  business,  I  shall  be  able  to  send  them  up  either 
way.  P.  tells  me  that  his  two  stills  cost  about  forty  pounds. 
I  want  to  hear  more  decisively  from  you  before  I  determine. 
Sooner  than  live  in  a  country  exposed  to  the  ague,  I  would  re- 
main where  I  am. 

"  0.  comes  out  to  stay  with  me  two  months,  to  learn  survey- 
ing, algebra,  &c.  I  have  been  employed  in  several  places  about 
this  summer  to  survey,  and  have  acquitted  myself  with  credit, 
and  to  my  own  satisfaction.  I  should  not  be  afraid  to  engage 
in  any  job  with  the  instruments  I  have.  *  *  * 

*  Mr.  Duncan  at  this  time  resided  upon  the  farm  mentioned  above,  which 
was  situated  in  the  township  of  Ovid,  Cayugu  County,  New  York. 


xxii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

"  S.  continues  to  increase  in  bulk,  money  and  respectability; 
a  continual  current  of  elevenpenny  bits  pouring  in,  and  but 
few  running  out. 

"  We  are  very  anxious  to  hear  how  you  got  up;  and  well 
pleased  that  you  played  the  Horse  Jockey  so  luckily.  If  you 
are  fixed  in  the  design  of  distilling,  you  will  write  me,  by  the 
first  opportunity,  before  winter  sets  in,  so  that  I  may  arrange 
matters  in  time. 

"  I  have  got  the  schoolhouse  enlarged,  by  contributions 
among  the  neighbours.  In  summer  the  school  is,  in  reality, 
not  much;  but  in  winter,  I  shall  be  able  to  teach  with  both 

pleasure  and  profit. 

****** 

"  When  I  told  R.  of  his  sister's  death,  '  I  expected  so,'  said 
Jamie,  f  any  other  news  that's  curious?'  So  completely  does 
long  absence  blunt  the  strongest  feelings  of  affection  and  friend- 
ship. May  it  never  be  so  with  you  and  me,  if  we  should  ne- 
ver meet  again.  On  my  part  it  is  impossible,  except  God,  in 
his  wrath,  should  deprive  me  of  my  present  soul,  and  animate 
me  with  some  other." 

Wilson  next  changed  his  residence  for  one  in  the  village 
of  Bloomfield,  New  Jersey,  where  he  again  opened  a  school. 
But  being  advised  of  a  more  agreeable  and  lucrative  situation, 
he  solicited,  and  received,  an  engagement  from  the  trustees  of 
Union  School,  situated  in  the  township  of  Kingsess  or  King- 
sessing,  a  short  distance  from  Gray's  Ferry,  on  the  river  Schuyl- 
kill,  and  about  four  miles  from  Philadelphia. 

This  removal  constituted  an  important  era  in  the  life  of  Wil- 
son. His  school-house  and  residence  being  but  a  short  dis- 
tance from  Bartram's  Botanic  Garden,  situated  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  Schuylkill:  a  sequestered  spot,  possessing  attrac- 
tions of  no  ordinary  kind ;  an  acquaintance  was  soon  contract- 
ed with  that  venerable  naturalist,  Mr.  William  Bartram,* 

*  The  author  of  "  Travels  through  North  and.  South  Carolina,  Georgia, 
East  and  West  Florida,"  &c.  This  excellent  gentleman  closed  his  long-  and 
useful  life  on  the  22d  July,  1823,  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 


• 

LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xxiii 

which  grew  into  an  uncommon  friendship,  and  continued  with- 
out the  least  abatement  until  severed  by  death.  Here  it  was 
that  Wilson  found  himself  translated,  if  we  may  so  speak,  into 
a  new  existence.  He  had  long  been  a  lover  of  the  works  of 
Nature,  and  had  derived  more  happiness  from  the  contempla- 
tion of  her  simple  beauties,  than  from  any  other  source  of  gra- 
tification. But  he  had  hitherto  been  a  mere  novice;  he  was 
now  about  to  receive  instructions  from  one,  whom  the  expe- 
rience of  a  long  life,  spent  in  travel  and  rural  retirement,  had 
rendered  qualified  to  teach.  Mr.  Bartram  soon  perceived  the 
bent  of  his  friend's  mind,  and  its  congeniality  to  his  own;  and 
took  every  pains  to  encourage  him  in  a  study,  which,  while  it 
expands  the  faculties,  and  purifies  the  heart,  insensibly  leads  to 
the  contemplation  of  the  glorious  Author  of  nature  himself. 
From  his  youth  Wilson  had  been  an  observer  of  the  manners 
of  birds;  and  since  his  arrival  in  America  he  had  found  them 
objects  of  uncommon  interest;  but  he  had  not  yet  viewed  them 
with  the  eye  of  a  naturalist. 

Mr.  Bartram  possessed  some  works  on  natural  history,  par- 
ticularly those  of  Catesby  and  Edwards.  Wilson  perused  them 
attentively;  and  found  himself  enabled,  even  with  his  slender 
stock  of  information,  to  detect  errors  and  absurdities  into  which 
these  authors  had  fallen,  from  a  defective  mode  of  studying 
nature :  a  mode,  which,  while  it  led  them  to  the  repositories  of 
dried  skins  and  preparations,  and  to  a  reliance  on  hearsay  evi- 
dence, subjected  them  to  the  imputation  of  ignorance,  which 
their  lives,  devoted  to  the  cultivation  and  promotion  of  science, 
certainly  would  not  justify.  Wilson's  improvement  was  now 
rapid;  and  the  judicious  criticisms  which  he  made  on  the  above- 
mentioned  authors,  gratified  his  friend  and  instructor,  who  re- 
doubled his  encouraging  assistance,  in  order  to  further  him  in 
a  pursuit  for  which  his  genius,  now  beginning  to  develop  it- 
self, was  evidently  fitted. 


TO  MR.   WM.    DUNCAN. 

Gray's  Ferry ,  October  30,  1802. 
><  Dear  Billy, 

"  I  was  favoured  with  your  despatches  a  few  hours  ago, 
through  the  kindness  of  Colonel  Sullivan,  who  called  on  me 
for  that  purpose.  I  have  read  and  re-read,  over  and  over  again, 
their  contents;  and  shall  devote  the  remainder  of  this  evening 
to  reply  to  you,  and  the  rest  of  the  family,  now  joint  tenants 
of  the  woods.  By  the  arrival  of  John  F.  here,  in  August  last, 
I  received  one  letter  from  my  brother  David,  one  from  Thomas 
W.  and  one  for  Alexander  from  David  Wilson;  and  last  week 
another  packet  arrived  from  Belfast,  containing  one  letter  from 
your  father  to  myself;  and  to  your  mother,  brother  and  brother- 
in-law,  and  yourself,  one  each,  all  of  which  I  have  herewith 
sent,  and  hope  they  may  amuse  a  leisure  hour.  F.  has  been 
wofully  disappointed  in  the  expectations  he  had  formed  of  his 
uncle.  Instead  of  being  able  to  assist  him,  he  found  him  in  the 
depth  of  poverty;  and  fast  sinking  under  a  severe  fever;  pro- 
bably the  arrival  of  a  relation  contributed  to  his  recovery;  he 
is  now  able  to  crawl  about.  F.  has  had  one  child  born  and  bu- 
ried since  his  arrival.  He  weaves  with  Robertson,  but  neither 
likes  the  situation  nor  employment.  He  is  a  stout,  active  and 
ingenious  fellow,  can  turn  his  hand  to  almost  any  thing,  and 
wishes  as  eagerly  to  get  up  to  the  lakes  as  ever  a  saint  longed 
to  get  to  heaven.  He  gives  a  most  dismal  description  of  the 
situation  of  the  poor  people  of  Scotland  in  1800. 

"  Your  letters,  so  long  expected,  have  at  length  relieved  me 
from  much  anxiety.  I  am  very  sorry  that  your  accommoda- 
tions are  so  few,  for  my  sister's  sake,  and  the  children's;  a  fire- 
place and  comfortable  house  for  the  winter  must,  if  possible,  be 
got  up  without  delay.  If  masons  are  not  to  be  had,  I  would 
attempt  to  raise  a  temporary  one  myself,  I  mean  a  fire-place — 
but  surely  they  may  be  had,  and  lime  and  stones  are  also  at- 
tainable by  dint  of  industry.  These  observations  are  made  not 
from  any  doubts  of  your  doing  every  thing  in  your  power  to 
make  your  mother  <as  comfortable  as  possible,  and  as  your  means 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  XXV 

will  enable  you,  but  from-  a  solicitude  for  a  sister's  health,  who 
has  sustained  more  distress  than  usual.  I  know  the  rude  ap- 
pearance of  the  country,  and  the  want  of  many  usual  conve- 
niences, will  for  some  time  affect  her  spirits;  let  it  be  your  plea- 
sure and  study  to  banish  these  melancholy  moments  from  her 
as  much  as  possible.  Whatever  inconveniences  they  may  for  a 
while  experience,  it  was  well  they  left  this  devoted  city.  The 
fever,  that  yellow  genius  of  destruction,  has  sent  many  poor 
mortals  to  their  long  homes  since  you  departed;  and  the  gen- 
tleman who  officiates  as  steward  to  the  Hospital  informed  me 
yesterday  evening  that  it  rages  worse  this  week  than  at  any 
former  period  this  season,  though  the  physicians  have  ceased 
reporting.  Every  kind  of  business  has  been  at  a  stand  these 
three  months,  but  the  business  of  death. 

"  You  intimate  your  design  of  coming  down  next  spring. 
Alexander  seems  to  have  the  same  intention.  How  this  will  be 
done,  consistent  with  providing  for  the  family,  is  not  so  clear 
to  me.    Let  me  give  my  counsel  on  the  subject.     You  will  see 
by  your  father's  letters  that  he  cannot  be  expected  before  next 
July,  or  August  perhaps,  a  time  when  you  must  of  necessity  be 
at  home.     Your  coming  down,   considering  loss  of  time  and 
expenses,  and  calculating  what  you  might  do  on  the  farm,  or 
at  the  loom,  or  at  other  jobs,  would  not  clear  you  more  than 
twenty  dollars  difference,  unless  you  intended  to  remain  here 
five  or  six  months,  in  which  time  much  might  be  done  by  you 
and  Alexander  on  the  place.     I  am  sorry  he  has  been  so  soon 
discouraged  with  farming.    Were  my  strength  but  equal  to  my 
spirit,  I  would  abandon  my  school  for  ever  for  such  an  cmploy- 
,  ment.     Habit  will  reconcile  him  to  all  difficulties.     It  is  more 
healthy,  more  independent  and  agreeable  than  to  be  cooped  up 
in  a  subterraneous  dungeon,  surrounded  by  gloomy  damps,  and 
breathing  an  unwholesome  air  from  morning  to  night,  shut  out 
from  Nature's  fairest  scenes  and  the  pure  air  of  heaven.  When 
necessity  demands  such  a  seclusion,  it  is  noble  to  obey;   but 
when  we  are  left  to  choice,  who  would  bury  themselves  alive? 
It  is  only  in  winter  that  I  would  recommend  the  loom  to  both 

VOL    I. D 


xxvi  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

of  you.  In  the  month  of  March  next  I  shall,  if  well,  be  able 
to  command  two  hundred  dollars  cash  once  more.  Nothing 
stands  between  me  and  this  but  health,  and  that  I  hope  will  con- 
tinue at  least  till  then.  You  may  then  direct  as  to  the  disposal 
of  this  money — I  shall  freely  and  cheerfully  yield  the  whole  to 
your  management.  Another  quarter  will  enable  me  to  settle 
John  M.'s  account,  about  the  time  it  will  be  due;  and,  instead 
of  wandering  in  search  of  employment  five  or  six  hundred 
miles  for  a  few  dollars,  I  would  beg  of  you  both  to  unite  in  put- 
ting the  place  and  house  in  as  good  order  as  possible.  But  Al- 
exander can  get  nothing  but  wheat  and  butter  for  this  flagging 
and  slashing!  Never  mind,  my  dear  namesake,  put  up  awhile 
with  the  rough  fare  and  rough  clothing  of  the  country.  Let  us 
only  get  the  place  in  good  order  and  you  shall  be  no  loser  by 
it.  Next  summer  I  will  assuredly  come  up  along  with  your  fa- 
ther and  George,  if  he  comes  as  I  expect  he  will,  and  every 
thing  shall  flourish. 

"My  dear  friend  and  nephew,  I  wish  you  could  find  a  lei- 
sure hour  in  the  evening  to  give  the  children,  particularly  Mary, 
some  instruction  in  reading,  and  Alexander  in  writing  and  ac- 
counts. Don't  be  discouraged  though  they  make  but  slow  pro- 
gress in  both,  but  persevere  a  little  every  evening.  I  think  you 
can  hardly  employ  an  hour  at  night  to  better  purpose.  And 
make  James  read  every  convenient  opportunity.  If  I  live  to 
come  up  beside  you,  I  shall  take  that  burden  off  your  shoulders. 
Be  the  constant  friend  and  counsellor  of  your  little  colony,  to 
assist  them  in  their  difficulties,  encourage  them  in  their  despon- 
dencies, to  make  them  as  happy  as  circumstances  will  enable 
you.  A  mother,  brothers  and  sisters,  in  a  foreign  country,,  look-, 
ing  up  to  you  as  their  best  friend  and  supporter,  places  you  in 
a  dignified  point  of  view.  The  future  remembrance  of  your 
kind  duty  to  them  now,  will,  in  the  hour  of  your  own  distress, 
be  as  a  healing  angel  of  peace  to  your  mind.  Do  every  thing 
possible  to  make  your  house  comfortable — fortify  the  garrison 
in  every  point — stop  every  crevice  that  may  let  in  that  chilling 
devil,  the  roaring  blustering  northwest — heap  up  fires  big 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  Xxvii 

enough  for  an  Indian  war-feast — keep  the  flour-barrel  full — bake 
loaves  like  Hamles  Head* — make  the  loom  thunder,  and  the 
pot  boil;  and  your  snug  little  cabin  re-echo  nothing  but  sounds 
of  domestic  felicity.  I  will  write  you  the  moment  I  hear  of 
George.  I  shall  do  every  thing  I  have  said  to  you,  and  never 
lose  sight  of  the  eighteenth  of  March ;  for  which  purpose  I  shall 
keep  night  school  this  winter,  and  retain  every  farthing  but 
what  necessity  requires — depend  upon  me.  These  are  the  out- 
lines of  my  plan.  If  health  stand  it,  all  will  be  well;  if  not, 
we  cannot  help  it.  Ruminate  on  all  this,  and  consult  together. 
If  you  still  think  of  coming  down,  I  hope  you  would  not  hesi- 
tate for  a  moment  to  make  my  neighbourhood  your  home.  If 
you  come  I  shall  be  happy  to  have  you  once  more  beside  me. 
If  you  resolve  to  stay  on  the  farm,  and  put  things  in  order  as 
far  as  possible,  I  will  think  you  have  done  what  you  thought 
best.  But  I  forget  that  my  paper  is  done. 

"Robb,  Orr,  &c.  have  escaped  as  yet  from  the  pestilence; 
but  Robb's  three  children  have  all  had  the  ague.  Rabby  Rowan 
has  gone  to  Davie's  Locker  at  last:  he  died  in  the  West  Indies. 
My  brother  David  talks  of  coming  to  America,  and  my  father, 
poor  old  man,  would  be  happy  to  be  with  you,  rough  and  un- 
comfortable as  your  situation  at  present  is.  As  soon  as  I  finish 
this  I  shall  write  to  your  mother  and  Alexander.  There  is  a 
letter  for  John  M.,  which  he  is  requested  to  answer  by  his  fa- 
ther-in-law. I  hope  John  will  set  a  firm  resolute  heart  to  the 
undertaking,  and  plant  a  posterity  in  that  rich,  western  coun- 
try, to  perpetuate  his  name  for  ever.  Thousands  here  would 
rejoice  to  be  in  his  situation.  How  happy  may  you  live  thus 
united  together  in  a  free  and  plentiful  country,  after  so  many 
years  of  painful  separation,  where  the  bare  necessaries  of  life 
were  all  that  incessant  drudgery  could  procure,  and  even  that 
but  barely.  Should  even  sickness  visit  you,  which  God  forbid, 
each  of  you  is  surrounded  by  almost  all  the  friends  you  have  in 
the  world,  to  nurse  you,  and  pity  and  console  you;  and  surely 
it  is  not  the  least  sad  comfort  of  a  death  bed,  to  be  attended  by 
*  The  name  of  a  rock  near  Paisley. 


xxyiii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

affectionate  relatives.  Write  me  positively  by  post,  two  or  three 
times.  My  best  love  to  my  sister,  to  Isabella,  Alexander,  John, 
the  two  Maries,  James,  Jeany,  little  Annie.  God  Almighty 
bless  you  all. 

"  Your  ever  affectionate  friend, 

"  ALEX.  WILSON." 

TO  ALEXANDER  DUNCAN. 

October  31,  1802, 
"  Dear  Alexander, 

"  I  have  laughed  on  every  perusal  of  your  letter.  I  have 
now  deciphered  the  whole,  except  the  blots,  but  I  fancy  they 
are  only  by  the  way  of  half  mourning  for  your  doleful  capti- 
vity in  the  back  woods,  where  there  is  nothing  but  wheat  and 
butter,  eggs  and  gammon,  for  hagging  down  trees.  Deplora- 
ble! what  must  be  done?  It  is  a  good  place,  you  say,  for  a  man 
who  has  a  parcel  of  weans! 

"  But  forgive  this  joking.  I  thank  you,  most  heartily,  for 
this  your  first  letter  to  me;  and  I  hope  you  will  follow  it  up 
with  many  more.  I  shall  always  reply  to  them  with  real  plea- 
sure. I  am  glad  that  your  chief  objection  to  the  country  is 
want  of  money.  No  place  is  without  its  inconveniences.  Want 
of  the  necessaries  of  life  would  be  a  much  greater  grievance. 
If  you  can,  in  your  present  situation,  procure  sufficient  of  these, 
though  attended  with  particular  disadvantages,  I  would  recom- 
mend you  to  persevere  where  you  are.  I  would  wish  you  and 
William  to  give  your  joint  labours  to  putting  the  place  in  as 
good  order  as  possible.  A  farm  of  such  land,  in  good  cultiva- 
tion, is  highly  valuable;  it  will  repay  all  the  labour  bestowed 
upon  it  a  hundred  fold;  and  contains  within  it  all  the  powers 
of  plenty  and  independence  These  it  only  requires  industry 
to  bring  forth,  and  a  Small  stock  of  money  to  begin  with.  The 
money  I  doubt  not  of  being  able  to  procure,  next  summer,  for 
a  year  or  two,  on  interest,  independent  of  two  hundred  dol- 
lars of  my  own,  which  I  hope  to  possess  on  or  before  the  mid- 
dle of  March  next  C.  S.  is  very  much  attached  to  both  your 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xxix 

brother  and  me;  and  has  the  means  in  his  power  to  assist  us — 
and  I  know  he  will.  In  the  mean  time,  if  you  and  William 
unite  in  the  undertaking,  I  promise  you  as  far  as  I  am  concern- 
ed, to  make  it  the  best  plan  you  could  pursue. 

"  Accustom  yourself,  as  much  as  you  can,  to  working  out. 
Don't  despise  flagging  down  trees.  It  is  hard  work,  no  doubt; 
but  taken  moderately,  it  strengthens  the  whole  sinews;  and  is 
a  manly  and  independent  employment.  An  old  weaver  is  a 
poor,  emaciated,  helpless  being,  shivering  over  rotten  yarn, 
and  groaning  over  his  empty  flour  barrel.  An  old  farmer  sits 
in  his  arm  chair  before  his  jolly  fire,  while  his  joists  are  crowd- 
ed with  hung  beef  and  gammons,  and  the  bounties  of  Heaven 
are  pouring  into  his  barns.  Even  the  article  of  health  is  a  con- 
sideration sufficient  to  make  a  young  man  prefer  the  labours  of 
the  field:  for  health  is  certainly  the  first  enjoyment  of  human 
life.  But  perhaps  weaving  holds  out  advantages  that  farming 
does  not.  Then  blend  the  two  together;  weave  in  the  depth 
of  winter,  and  work  out  the  rest  of  the  year.  We  will  have 
it  in  our  power,  before  next  winter,  to  have  a  shop,  looms,  &c. 
provided.  Consider  all  I  have  said,  and  if  I  have  a  wrong 
view  of  the  subject,  form  your  own  plans,  and  write  me  with- 
out delay." 

TO    MR.    WM.    DUNCAN. 

Gray's  Ferry,  December  23,  1802. 

"  The  two  Mr.  Purdies  popped  into  my  school,  this  after- 
noon, as  unexpected  as  they  were  welcome,  with  news  from 
the  promised  land.  I  shall  detain  them  with  me  all  night,  on 
purpose  to  have  an  opportunity  of  writing  you  a  few  lines.  I 
am  glad  you  are  all  well.  I  hope  that  this  is  the  last  devilish 
slough  of  despond  which  you  will  have  to  struggle  in  for  some 
time.  I  will  do  all  that  I  said  to  you,  in  my  last,  by  the  mid- 
dle of  March;  so  let  care  and  sorrow  be  forgotten;  and  indus- 
try, hope,  good-humour  and  economy,  be  your  bosom  friends. 
****** 

"  I  succeed  tolerably  well;  and  seem  to  gain  in  the  esteem 


XXX  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

of  the  people  about.  I  am  glad  of  it,  because  I  hope  it  will 
put  it  in  my  power  to  clear  the  road  a  little  before  you,  and  ba- 
nish despondence  from  the  heart  of  my  dearest  friend.  Be  as- 
sured that  I  will  ever  as  cheerfully  contribute  to  your  relief  in 
difficulties,  as  I  will  rejoice  with  you  in  prosperity.  But  we 
have  nothing  to  fear.  One  hundred  bushels  of  wheat,  to  be 
sure,  is  no  great  marketing;  but  has  it  not  been  expended  in 
the  support  of  a  mother,  and  infant  brothers  and  sisters,  thrown 
upon  your  bounty  in  a  foreign  country?  Robert  Burns,  when 
the  mice  nibbled  away  his  corn,  said: 

"  I'll  get  a  blessin  wij  the  lave, 

And  never  miss  *t." 

"  Where  he  expected  one,  you  may  a  thousand.  Robin,  by 
his  own  confession,  ploughed  up  his  mice  out  of  ha?  and 
hame.  You  have  built  for  your  little  wanderers  a  cozie  bield, 
where  none  dare  molest  them.  There  is  more  true  greatness 
in  the  affectionate  exertions  which  you  have  made  for  their 
subsistence  and  support,  than  the  bloody  catalogue  of  heroes 
can  boast  of.  Your  own  heart  will  speak  peace  and  satisfaction 
to  you,  to  the  last  moment  of  your  life,  for  every  anxiety  you 
have  felt  on  their  account.  Colonel  Sullivan  talks  with  pride 
and  affection  of  you. 

"  I  wish  Alexander  had  written  me  a  few  lines  of  the  old 
German  text.  I  laugh  every  time  I  look  at  his  last  letter:  its 
a  perfect  antidote  against  the  spleen.  Well,  Alexander,  which 
is  the  best  fun,  handling  the  shuttle,  or  the  ax?  When  John 
M.  comes  down,  write  me  largely.  And,  dear  sister,  let  me 
hear  from  you  also.  *  * 

"  I  would  beg  leave  to  suggest  to  you  the  propriety  of  teach- 
ing the  children  to  behave  with  good  manners,  and  dutiful  re- 
spect, to  yourself,  each  other,  and  every  body. 

"  You  must  excuse  me  for  any  thing  I  may  have  said  amiss, 
or  any  thing  I  may  have  omitted  to  mention.  I  am,  with  sin- 
cere attachment,  your  affectionate  friend." 

The  foregoing  letters  place  the  character  of  Wilson  in  the 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xxxi 

most  amiable  point  of  view;  and  they  entirely  supersede  any 
remarks  which  I  might  make  upon  those  social  affections  that 
distinguished  him  through  life. 

In  his  new  situation  Wilson  had  many  enjoyments;  but  he 
had  likewise  moments  of  despondency,  which  solitude  tended 
to  confirm.  He  had  addicted  himself  to  the  writing  of  verses, 
and  to  music;  and,  being  of  a  musing  turn  of  mind,  had  given 
way  to  those  seductive  feelings,  which  the  charming  scenery 
of  the  country,  in  a  sensible  heart,  never  fails  to  awaken.  This 
was  a  fatal  bias,  which  all  his  efforts  could  not  counteract  or 
remove.  His  acquaintance  perceived  the  danger  of  his  state; 
and  one  in  whose  friendship  he  had  placed  strong  reliance,  and 
to  whom  he  had  freely  unburthened  himself,  Mr.  Lawson,  the 
engraver,  entertained  apprehensions  for  the  soundness  of  his 
intellect.*  There  was  one  subject  which  contributed  not  a  lit- 
tle to  increase  his  mental  gloom,  and  this  was  the  considera- 
tion of  the  life  of  penury  and  dependence  to  which  he  seemed 
destined  as  the  teacher  of  a  country  school.  Mr.  Lawson  im- 
mediately recommended  the  renouncing  of  poetry  and  the 
flute,  and  the  substituting  of  the  amusement  of  drawing  in  their 
stead,  as  being  most  likely  to  restore  the  balance  of  his  mind; 
and  as  an  employment  well  adapted  to  one  of  his  recluse  habits 
and  inclinations.  To  this  end,  sketches  of  the  human  figure, 
and  landscapes,  were  provided  for  him;  but  his  attempts  were 
so  unpromising  that  he  threw  them  aside  with  disgust;  and 
concluded  that  one  at  his  period  of  life  could  never  succeed  in 

*  The  following  incident  was  communicated  to  me  by  Colonel  Carr,  who 
had  it  from  Wilson  himself.  While  the  latter  laboured  under  great  depres- 
sion of  spirits,  in  order  to  sooth  his  mind  he  one  day  rambled  with  his  gun. 
The  piece  by  accident  slipped  from  his  hand,  and,  in  making-  an  effort  to  re- 
gain it,  the  lock  was  cocked.  At  that  moment  had  the  gun  gone  off,  it  Is 
more  than  probable  that  he  would  have  lost  his  life,  as  the  muzzle  was  oppo- 
site to  his  breast.  When  Wilson  reflected  on  the  danger  which  he  had  es- 
caped, he  shuddered  at  the  idea  of  the  imputation  of  suicide,  which  a  fatal 
occurrence,  to  one  in  his  frame  of  mind,  would  have  occasioned.  There  is 
room  to  conjecture  that  many  have  accidentally  met  their  end,  whose  me- 
mories have  been  sullied  by  the  alleged  crime  of  self  murder. 


xxxii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

the  art  of  delineation.  Mr.  Bartram  now  advised  a  trial  at 
birds;  and  being  tolerably  skilful  himself,  exhibited  his  port- 
folio, which  was  graced  with  many  specimens  from  his  own 
hands.  The  attempt  was  made,  and  succeeded  beyond  the  ex- 
pectation of  Wilson,  or  that  of  his  friends.  There  was  a  ma- 
gic in  the  employment  which  aroused  all  the  energies  of  his 
soul ;  he  saw,  as  it  were,  the  day  spring  of  a  new  creation ;  and, 
from  being  the  humble  follower  of  his  instructors,  he  was  soon 
qualified  to  lead  the  way  in  the  charming  art  of  imitating  the 
works  of  the  GREAT  ORIGINAL. 

That  Wilson  likewise  undertook  the  task  of  delineating  flow- 
ers, appears  from  the  following  note  to  Mr.  Bartram,  dated 
Nov.  20th,  1803: 

"  I  have  attempted  two  of  those  prints  which  Miss  Nancy* 
so  obligingly,  and  with  so  much  honour  to  her  own  taste,  se- 
lected for  me.  I  was  quite  delighted  with  the  anemone,  but 
fear  I  have  made  but  bungling  work  of  it.  Such  as  they  are  I 
send  them  for  your  inspection  and  opinion;  neither  of  them  is 
quite  finished.  For  your  kind  advice  towards  my  improvement 
I  return  my  most  grateful  acknowledgments. 

"  The  duties  of  my  profession  will  not  admit  me  to  apply  to 
this  study  with  the  assiduity  and  perseverance  I  could  wish. 
Chief  part  of  what  I  do  is  sketched  by  candle-light;  and  for  this 
I  am  obliged  to  sacrifice  the  pleasures  of  social  life,  and  the 
agreeable  moments  which  I  might  enjoy  in  company  with  you 
and  your  amiable  friend.  I  shall  finish  the  other  some  time  this 
week;  and  shall  be  happy  if  what  I  have  done  merit  your  ap- 
probation." 

As  Wilson  advanced  in  drawing,  he  made  corresponding  pro- 
gress in  the  knowledge  of  Ornithology.  He  had  perused  the 
works  of  some  of  the  naturalists  of  Europe,  who  had  written 
on  the  subject  of  the  birds  of  America,  and  became  so  disgust- 
ed with  their  caricatured  figures,  fanciful  theories,  fables  and 
misrepresentations,  that  on  turning,  as  he  himself  observes, 
from  these  barren  and  musty  records  to  the  magnificent  repo- 
*  Mr.  Barlram's  niece,  now  the  consort  of  Col.  Carr. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xxxiii 

sitory  of  the  woods  and  fields — the  Grand  Jlviary  of  Nature, 
his  delight  bordered  on  adoration.  It  was  not  in  the  inventions 
of  man  that  the  DIVINE  WISDOM  could  be  traced;  but  it  was 
visible  in  the  volume  of  creation,  wherein  are  inscribed  the 
AUTHOR'S  lessons  of  goodness  and  love,  in  the  conformation, 
the  habitudes,  melody  and  migrations,  of  the  feathered  tribes, 
that  beautiful  portion  of  the  work  of  his  hands. 

To  invite  the  attention  of  his  fellow-citizens  to  a  study,  at- 
tended with  so  much  pleasure  and  improvement,  was  the  natu- 
ral wish  of  one  who  had  been  educated  in  the  School  of  Wis- 
dom. He  humbly  thought  it  would  not  be  rendering  an  unac- 
ceptable service  to  the  GREAT  MASTER  OF  CREATION  himself, 
to  derive  from  objects  that  every  where  present  themselves  in 
our  rural  walks,  not  only  amusement  and  instruction,  but  the 
highest  incitements  to  piety  and  virtue.  Moreover,  self-grati- 
fication, that  source  of  so  many  of  our  virtuous  actions,  had  its 
share  in  urging  him  to  communicate  his  observations  to  others  * 
He  examined  the  strength  of  his  mind,  and  its  resources;  the 
undertaking  seemed  hazardous;  he  pondered  it  for  a  long  while 
before  he  ventured  to  mention  it  to  his  friends.  At  length  the 
subject  was  made  known  to  Mr.  Bartram,  who  freely  express- 
ed his  confidence  in  the  abilities  and  acquirements  of  Wilson; 
but,  from  a  knowledge  of  the  situation  and  circumstances  of 
the  latter,  hinted  his  fears  that  the  difficulties  which  stood  in 
the  way  of  such  an  enterprise  were  almost  too  great  to  be  over- 
come. Wilson  was  not  easily  intimidated;  the  very  mention 
of  difficulties  suggested  to  his  mind  the  means  of  surmounting 
them,  and  the  glory  which  would  accrue  from  such  an  achieve- 
ment. He  had  a  ready  answer  to  every  objection  of  his  cau- 
tious friend;  and  evinced  such  enthusiasm,  that  Mr.  Bartram 
trembled  lest  his  intemperate  zeal  should  lead  him  into  a  situa- 
tion, from  the  embarrassments  of  which  he  could  not  well  be 
extricated. 

The  scheme  was  unfolded  to  Mr.  Lawson,  and  met  with  his 
cordial  approbation.     But  he  observed  that  there  were  several 

*  Introduction  to  vol.  i. 
VOL.    I. — E 


XXxiv  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

considerations  which  should  have  their  weight,  in  determining 
in  an  affair  of  so  much  importance.  These  were  frankly  stated ; 
and  followed  by  advice,  which  did  not  quadrate  with  the  tempe- 
rament of  Wilson ;  who,  vexed  that  his  friend  would  not  enter 
into  his  feelings,  expressed  his  scorn  of  the  maxims  of  pru- 
dence with  which  he  was  assailed,  by  styling  them  the  offspring 
of  a  cold,  calculating,  selfish  philosophy.  Under  date  of 
March  12th,  1804,  he  thus  writes  to  the  last  named  gentleman; 
"  I  dare  say  you  begin  to  think  me  very  ungenerous  and  un- 
friendly in  not  seeing  you  for  so  long  a  time.  I  will  simply 
state  the  cause,  and  I  know  you  will  excuse  me.  Six  days  in 
one  week  I  have  no  more  time  than  just  to  swallow  my  meals, 
and  return  to  my  Sanctum  Sanctorum.  Five  days  of  the 
following  week  are  occupied  in  the  same  routine  ofpedagogu- 
ing  matters;  and  the  other  two  are  sacrificed  to  that  itch  for 
drawing,  which  I  caught  from  your  honourable  self,  I  never 
was  more  wishful  to  spend  an  afternoon  with  you.  In  three 
weeks  I  shall  have  a  few  days  vacancy,  and  mean  to  be  in 
town  chief  part  of  the  time.  I  am  most  earnestly  bent  on  pur- 
suing my  plan  of  making  a  collection  of  all  the  birds  in  this 
part  of  North  America.  Now  I  don't  want  you  to  throw  cold 
water,  as  Shakspeare  says,  on  this  notion,  Quixotic  as  it  may 
appear.  I  have  been  so  long  accustomed  to  the  building  of 
airy  castles  and  brain  windmills,  that  it  has  become  one  of  my 
earthly  comforts,  a  sort  of  a  rough  bone,  that  amuses  me  when 
sated  with  the  dull  drudgery  of  life." 

TO    MR.     WM.    BARTRAM. 

Marc/129,  1804. 

"  Three  months  have  passed  away  since  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  you;  and  three  dark  and  heavy  months  they  have 
been  to  your  family.  My  heart  has  shared  in  your  distress, 
and  sincerely  sympathises  with  you  for  the  loss  you  have  sus- 
tained. But  Time,  the  great  curer  of  every  grief,  will  gradu- 
ally heal  those  wounds  which  Misfortune  has  inflicted;  and 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  XXXV 

many  years  of  tranquillity  and  happiness  are,  I  sincerely  hope, 
reserved  for  you. 

"  I  have  been  prevented  from  seeing  you  so  long  by  the  hur- 
ry of  a  crowded  school,  which  occupied  all  my  hours  of  day- 
light, and  frequently  half  the  others.  The  next  quarter  will 
leave  me  time  enough ;  and,  as  there  is  no  man  living  in  whose 
company  I  have  more  real  satisfaction,  I  hope  you  will  pardon 
me  if  I  now  and  then  steal  a  little  of  your  leisure. 

"  I  send  for  your  amusement  a  few  attempts  at  some  of  our 
indigenous  birds,  hoping  that  your  good  nature  will  excuse 
their  deficiencies,  while  you  point  them  out  to  me.  I  intended 
to  be  the  bearer  of  them  myself,  but  having  so  many  little  ac- 
counts to  draw  up  before  to  morrow,  I  am  compelled  to  plead 
this  as  my  excuse.  I  am  almost  ashamed  to  send  you  these 
drawings;  but  I  know  your  generous  disposition  will  induce 
you  to  encourage  one  in  whom  you  perceive  a  sincere  and  ea- 
ger wish  to  do  well.  They  were  chiefly  coloured  by  candle- 
light. 

"  I  have  now  got  my  collection  of  native  birds  considerably 
enlarged;  and  shall  endeavour,  if  possible,  to  obtain  all  the 
smaller  ones  this  summer.  Be  pleased  to  mark  on  the  draw- 
ings, with  a  pencil,  the  names  of  each  bird,  as,  except  three  or 
four,  I  do  not  know  them.  I  shall  be  extremely  obliged  to  you 
for  every  hint  that  will  assist  me  in  this  agreeable  amusement. 

"  I  am  very  anxious  to  see  the  performances  of  your  fair  pu- 
pil; and  beg  you  would  assure  her  from  me  that  any  of  the 
birds  I  have  are  heartily  at  her  service.  Surely  Nature  is  pre- 
ferable, to  copy  after,  to  the  works  of  the  best  masters,  though 
perhaps  more  difficult;  for  I  declare  that  the  face  of  an  owl, 
and  the  back  of  a  lark,  have  put  me  to  a  nonplus;  and  if  Miss 
Nancy  will  be  so  obliging  as  to  try  her  hand  on  the  last  men- 
tioned, I  will  furnish  her  with  one  in  good  order;  and  will 
copy  her  drawing  with  the  greatest  pleasure;  having  spent  al- 
most a  week  on  two  different  ones,  and  afterwards  destroyed 
them  both,  and  got  nearly  in  the  slough  of  despond." 


XXX  vi  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

TO  MR.    WM.  BARTRAM. 

Kingsessing,  March,  31,  1804. 

"I  take  the  first  few  moments  I  have  had  since  receiving 
your  letter,  to  thank  you  for  your  obliging  attention  to  my  lit- 
tle attempts  at  drawing;  and  for  the  very  affectionate  expres- 
sions of  esteem  with  which  you  honour  me.  But  sorry  1  am, 
indeed,  that  afflictions  so  severe,  as  those  you  mention,  should 
fall  where  so  much  worth  and  sensibility  reside,  while  the  pro- 
fligate, the  unthinking  and  unfeeling,  so  frequently  pass 
through  life,  strangers  to  sickness,  adversity  or  suffering.  But 
God  visits  those  with  distress  whose  enjoyments  he  wishes  to 
render  more  exquisite.  The  storms  of  affliction  do  not  last  for 
ever;  and  sweet  is  the  serene  air,  and  warm  sunshine,  after  a 
day  of  darkness  and  tempest.  Our  friend  has,  indeed,  passed 
away,  in  the  bloom  of  youth  and  expectation ;  but  nothing  has 
happened  but  what  almost  every  day's  experience  teaches  us  to 
expect.  How  many  millions  of  beautiful  flowers  have  flourished 
and  faded  under  your  eye;  and  how  often  has  the  whole  profu- 
sion of  blossoms,  the  hopes  of  a  whole  year,  been  blasted  by  an 
untimely  frost.  He  has  gone  only  a  little  before  us;  we  must 
soon  follow;  but  while  the  feelings  of  nature  cannot  be  repress- 
ed, it  is  our  duty  to  bow  with  humble  resignation  to  the  deci- 
sions of  the  great  Father  of  all,  rather  receiving  with  gratitude 
the  blessings  he  is  pleased  to  bestow,  than  repining  at  the  loss 
of  those  he  thinks  proper  to  take  from  us.  But  allow  me,  my 
dear  friend,  to  withdraw  your  thoughts  from  so  melancholy  a 
subject,  since  the  best  way  to  avoid  the  force  of  any  overpower- 
ing passion,  is  to  turn  its  direction  another  way. 

"That  lovely  season  is  now  approaching,  when  the  garden, 
woods  and  fields,  will  again  display  their  foliage  and  flowers. 
Every  day  we  may  expect  strangers,  flocking  from  the  south, 
to  fill  our  woods  with  harmony.  The  pencil  of  Nature  is  now 
at  work,  and  outlines,  tints,  and  gradations  of  lights  and  shades,  . 
that  baffle  all  description,  will  soon  be  spread  before  us  by  that 
great  master,  our  most  benevolent  friend  and  father.  Let  us 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xxxvii 

cheerfully  participate  in  the  feast  he  is  preparing  for  all  our 
senses.  Let  us  survey  those  millions  of  green  strangers,  just 
peeping  into  day,  as  so  many  happy  messengers  come  to  pro- 
claim the  power  and  munificence  of  the  Creator.  I  confess  that 
I  was  always  an  enthusiast  in  my  admiration  of  the  rural  sce- 
nery of  Nature;  but,  since  your  example  and  encouragement 
have  set  me  to  attempt  to  imitate  her  productions,  I  see  new 
beauties  in  every  bird,  plant  or  flower,  I  contemplate;  and  find 
my  ideas  of  the  incomprehensible  first  cause  still  more  exalted, 
the  more  minutely  I  examine  his  works. 

"I  sometimes  smile  to  think  that  while  others  are  immers- 
ed in  deep  schemes  of  speculation  and  aggrandizement — in 
building  towns  and  purchasing  plantations,  I  am  entranced  in 
contemplation  over  the  plumage  of  a  lark,  or  gazing  like  a  de- 
spairing lover,  on  the  lineaments  of  an  owl.  While  others  are 
hoarding  up  their  bags  of  money,  without  the  power  of  enjoy- 
ing it,  I  am  collecting,  without  injuring  my  conscience,  or 
wounding  my  peace  of  mind,  those  beautiful  specimens  of  Na- 
ture's works  that  are  for  ever  pleasing.  I  have  had  live  crows, 
hawks  and  owls — opossums,  squirrels,  snakes,  lizards,  &c.,  so 
that  my  room  has  sometimes  reminded  me  of  Noah's  ark;  but 
Noah  had  a  wife  in  one  corner  of  it,  and  in  this  particular  our 
parallel  does  not  altogether  tally.  I  receive  every  subject  of  na- 
tural history  that  is  brought  to  me,  and  though  they  do  not 
march  into  my  ark,  from  all  quarters,  as  they  did  into  that  of 
our  great  ancestor,  yet  I  find  means,  by  the  distribution  of  a 
few  five  penny  bits,  to  make  them  find  the  way  fast  enough. 
A  boy,  not  long  ago,  brought  me  a  large  basket  full  of  crows. 
I  expect  his  next  load  will  be  bull-frogs,  if  I  don't  soon  issue  or- 
ders to  the  contrary.  One  of  my  boys  caught  a  mouse  in  school, 
a  few  days  ago,  and  directly  marched  up  to  me  with  his  pri- 
soner. I  set  about  drawing  it  that  same  evening,  and  all  the 
while  the  pantings  of  its  little  heart  showed  it  to  be  in  the  most 
extreme  agonies  of  fear.  I  had  intended  to  kill  it,  in  order  to 
fix  it  in  the  claws  of  a  stuffed  owl,  but  happening  to  spill  a  few 
drops  of  water  near  where  it  was  tied,  it  lapped  it  up  with  such 


XXXviii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

eagerness,  and  looked  in  my  face  with  such  an  eye  of  supplica- 
ting terror,  as  perfectly  overcame  me.  I  immediately  untied  it, 
and  restored  it  to  life  and  liberty.  The  agonies  of  a  prisoner  at 
the  stake,  while  the  fire  and  instruments  of  torment  are  prepa- 
ring, could  not  be  more  severe  than  the  sufferings  of  that  poor 
mouse;  and,  insignificant  as  the  object  was,  I  felt  at  that  mo- 
ment the  sweet  sensations  that  mercy  leaves  on  the  mind  when 
she  triumphs  over  cruelty. 

"My  dear  friend,  you  see  I  take  the  liberty  of  an  old  ac- 
quaintance with  you,  in  thus  trifling  with  your  time.  You  have 
already  raised  me  out  of  the  slough  of  despond,  by  the  hopes  of 
your  agreeable  conversation,  and  that  of  your  amiable  pupil. 
Nobody,  I  am  sure,  rejoices  more  in  her  acquisition  of  the  beau- 
tiful accomplishment  of  drawing  than  myself.  I  hope  she  will 
persevere.  I  am  persuaded  that  any  pains  you  bestow  on  her 
will  be  rewarded  beyond  your  expectations.  Besides,  it  will  be 
a  new  link  in  that  chain  of  friendship  and  consanguinity  by 
which  you  are  already  united;  though  I  fear  it  will  be  a  power- 
ful addition  to  that  attraction  which  was  fully  sufficient  before, 
to  make  even  a  virtuoso  quit  his  owls  and  opossums,  and  think 
of  something  else." 

TO  MR.   WM.   BARTRAM. 

May  21,  1804. 

"  I  send  you  a  few  more  imitations  of  birds  for  your  opinion, 
which  I  value  beyond  that  of  any  body  else,  though  I  am  seri- 
ously apprehensive  that  I  am  troublesome.  These  are  the  last 
I  shall  draw  for  some  time,  as  the  employment  consumes  every 
leisure  moment,  leaving  nothing  for  friendship,  or  those  rural 
recreations  which  I  so  much  delight  in.  Even  poetry,  whose 
heavenly  enthusiasm  I  used  to  glory  in,  can  hardly  ever  find 
me  at  home,  so  much  has  this  bewitching  amusement  engrossed 
all  my  senses. 

"  Please  to  send  me  the  names  of  the  birds.  I  wish  to  draw 
a  small  flower,  in  order  to  represent  the  Humming-bird  in  the 
act  of  feeding:  will  you  be  so  good  as  to  send  me  one  suitable, 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xxxix 

and  not  too  large?  The  legs  and  feet  of  some  are  unfinished; 
they  are  all  miserably  imperfect,  but  your  generous  candour  I 
know  to  be  beyond  all  their  defects." 

TO  MR.    WM.    BARTRAM. 

June  15,  1804. 

"  I  have  arranged  my  business  for/mr  little  journey;  and,  if 
to-morrow  be  fair,  I  shall  have  the  chaise  ready  for  you  at  any 
time  in  the  morning,  say  seven  o'clock.  Or  if  you  think  any 
other  hour  more  suitable,  please  to  let  me  know  by  the  bearer, 
and  I  shall  make  it  answerable  to  me." 

June  16,  1804. 

"  I  believe  we  had  better  put  off  our  intended  jaunt  until 
some  more  auspicious  day. 

"  Clouds,  from  Eastern  regions  driven, 
Still  obscure  the  gloomy  skies; 
Let  us  yield,  since  angry  Heaven 
Frowns  upon  our  enterprise. 

"  Haply  some  unseen  disaster 
Hung  impending  o'er  our  way, 
Which  our  kind  Almighty  Master 
Saw,  and  sought  us  thus  to  stay. 

"  By  and  by,  when  fair  Aurora 
Bids  the  drowsy  fogs  to  fly, 
And  the  glorious  god  of  Flora 
Rises  in  a  cloudless  sky, 

"  Then,  in  whirling  chariot  seated, 
With  my  friend  I'll  gladly  go: 
With  his  converse  richly  treated — 
Happy  to  be  honoured  so." 

The  inconveniences  of  his  situation,  as  teacher  of  a  country 
school,  determined  Wilson  to  endeavour  after  some  employ- 
ment more  congenial  to  his  disposition;  and  that  would  enable 
him  to  attain  to  that  distinction,  as  a  scholar,  which  he  was 
anxious  to  merit.  He  consequently  directed  his  views  to  the 
"Literary  Magazine,"  conducted  by  C.  B.  Brown,  a  monthly 


xl  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

publication  of  some  note,  as  a  suitable  vehicle  for  the  diffusion 
of  those  productions  which  he  hoped  would  arrest  the  attention 
of  the  public.  In  this  magazine  appeared  his  "  Rural  Walk," 
and  his  "  Solitary  Tutor;"  but  it  does  not  appear  that  their  au- 
thor received  any  other  reward  for  his  well-meant  endeavours 
than  the  thanks  of  the  publisher.  He  was  flattered,  it  is  true, 
by  a  republication,  in  the  Port  Folio,  of  the  "  Rural  Walk," 
with  some  "  commendations  of  its  beauties;"  but  I  must  con- 
fess that  my  perspicacity  has  not  enabled  me  to  detect  them. 

The  then  editor  of  the  Port  Folio,  Mr.  Dennie,  enjoyed  the 
reputation  of  being  a  man  of  taste  and  judgment;  and  the  major 
part  of  his  selections  should  seem  to  prove  that  his  character, 
in  these  respects,  was  well  founded.  But  with  regard  to  the 
poem  in  question,  I  am  totally  at  a  loss  to  discover  by  what 
principles  of  criticism  he  judged  it,  seeing  that  his  opinion  of 
it  will  by  no  means  accord  with  mine.  The  initial  stanza,  which 
is  not  an  unfair  specimen  of  the  whole,  runs  thus: 

"  The  summer  sun  was  riding  high, 
The  woods  in  deepest  verdure  drest; 
From  care  and  clouds  of  dust  to  fly, 
Across  yon  bubbling-  brook  I  past." 

The  reader  of  classical  poetry  may  well  pardon  me  if,  out  of 
an  effusion  consisting  of  forty-four  stanzas,  I  save  him  the  task 
of  perusing  any  more  than  one. 

TO  MR.  LAWSON. 

Gray's  Ferry,  August  14,  1804. 
"  Dear  Sir, 

"Enclosed  is  a  copy  of  the  "Solitary  Tutor,"  which  I 
should  like  to  see  in  the  "  Literary  Magazine"  of  this  month, 
along  with  the  other  poem  which  I  sent  the  editor  last  week. 
Wishing,  for  my  future  benefit,  to  call  the  public  attention  to 
these  pieces,  if,  in  the  editor's  opinion,  they  should  seem  worthy 
of  it,  I  must  request  the  favour  of  you  to  converse  with  him  on 
this  subject.  You  know  the  numerous  pieces  I  am  in  possession 
of,  would  put  it  in  my  power  to  support  tolerably  well  any  re- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xli 

commendation  he  might  bestow  on  these ;  and  while  they  would 
not,  I  trust,  disgrace  the  pages  of  his  valuable  publication,  they 
might  serve  as  my  introduction  to  the  literary  world,  and  as  a 
sort  of  inspiration  to  some  future  and  more  finished  attempts. 
Knowing  that  you  will  freely  pardon  the  quantum  of  vanity 
that  suggested  these  hints, 

(<  I  remain,  with  real  regard,  &c." 

TO  MR.    WM.    BARTRAM. 

Union  School,  September  17,  1804. 

"  The  second  volume  of  Pinkerton's  Geography  has  at  length 
made  its  appearance;  and  I  take  the  freedom  of  transmitting  it, 
and  the  atlas,  for  your  amusement.  To  condemn  so  extensive 
a  work  before  a  re-perusal,  or  without  taking  into  consideration 
all  the  difficulties  that  were  to  be  surmounted,  is,  perhaps,  not 
altogether  fair.  Yet  we  almost  always  form  our  judgment  from 
the  first  impressions,  and  this  judgment  is  very  seldom  relin- 
quished. You  will,  therefore,  excuse  me  if  I  give  you  some 
of  the  impressions  made  on  myself  by  a  cursory  perusal. 

"  Taking  it  all  in  all,  it  is  certainly  the  best  treatise  on  the 
subject  hitherto  published;  though  had  the  author  extended  his 
plan,  and,  instead  of  two,  given  us  four  volumes,  it  would  not 
frequently  have  laid  him  under  the  necessity  of  disappointing 
his  reader  by  the  bare  mention  of  things  that  required  greater 
illustration;  and  of  compressing  the  natural  history  of  whole 
regions  into  half  a  page.  Only  thirty-four  pages  allotted  to 
the  whole  United  States !  This  is  brevity  with  a  vengeance.  I 
had  indeed  expected  from  the  exertions  of  Dr.  Barton,  as  com- 
plete an  account  of  the  natural  history  of  this  part  of  the  world 
as  his  means  of  information,  and  the  limits  of  the  work,  would 
admit.  I  have  been  miserably  disappointed;  and  you  will  par- 
don me  when  I  say  that  his  omitting  entirely  the  least  reference 
to  your  researches  in  Botany  and  Zoology,  and  seeming  so  so- 
licitous to  let  us  know  of  his  own  productions,  bespeak  a  nar- 
rowness of  mind,  and  self  consequence,  which  are  truly  despi- 
cable. Every  one  acquainted  with  you  both,,  would  have  con- 

VOL.  i. — F 


xlii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

fidently  trusted  that  he  would  rejoice  in  the  opportunity  of 
making  the  world  better  acquainted  with  a  man  whose  works 
show  such  a  minute  and  intimate  knowledge  of  these  sub- 
jects; and  from  whom  he  had  received  so  much  information. 
But  no — not  even  the  slightest  allusion,  lest  posterity  might 
discover  that  there  existed,  at  this  time,  in  the  United  States,  a 
naturalist  of  information  superior  to  his.  My  dear  sir,  I  am  a 
Scotchman,  and  don't  love  my  friends  with  that  cold  selfish 
prudence  which  I  see  in  some;  and  if  I  offend  in  thus  speaking 
from  the  fulness  of  my  heart,  I  know  you  will  forgive  me. 

"Pinkerton  has,  indeed,  furnished  us  with  many  curious 
particulars  unknown,  or,  at  least,  unnoticed,  by  all  former  geo- 
graphers; and  also  with  other  items  long  since  exploded  as  fa- 
bulous and  ridiculous;  such  is  his  account  of  the  Upas  or  poi- 
sonous tree;  and  of  children  having  been  lost  in  some  of  our 
American  swamps,  and  of  being  seen  many  years  afterwards, 
in  a  wild  savage  state !  But  he  very  gravely  tells  his  readers 
that  the  people  of  Scotland  eat  little  or  no  pork  from  a  prejudice 
which  they  entertain  against  swine,  the  Devil  having  taken 
possession  of  some  of  them  two  thousand  years  ago !  What  an 
enlightened  people  these  Scots  must  be;  and  what  a  delicate 
taste  they  must  be  possessed  of!  Yet  I  have  traversed  nearly 
three-fourths  of  that  country,  and  mixed  much  with  the  com- 
mon people,  and  never  heard  of  such  an  objection  before.  Had 
the  learned  author  told  his  readers  that,  until  late  years,  Scot- 
land, though  abounding  in  rich  pastures,  even  to  its  mountain 
tops,  was  yet  but  poorly  productive  in  grain,  fruit,  &c.  the  usu- 
al food  of  hogs,  and  that  on  this  account  innumerable  herds  of 
sheep,  horses  and  cattle  were  raised,  and  but  very  little  pork, 
he  would  then  have  stated  the  simple  facts;  and  not  subjected 
himself  to  the  laughter  of  every  native  of  that  part  of  Britain. 

"As.  to  the  pretended  antipathy  of  the  Scots  to  eels,  because 
they  resemble  snakes,  it  is  equally  ridiculous  and  improbable; 
ninety-nine  out  of  a  hundred  of  the  natives  never  saw  a  snake 
in  their  lives.  The  fact  is,  it  is  as  usual  to  eat  eels  in  Scotland, 
where  they  can  be  got,  as  it  is  in  America;  and  although  I  have 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xliii 

frequently  heard  such  objections  made  to  the  eating  of  eels  here, 
where  snakes  are  so  common,  yet  I  do  not  remember  to  have 
heard  the  comparison  made  in  Scotland.  I  have  taken  notice 
of  these  two  observations  of  his,  because  they  are  applied  gen- 
erally to  the  Scots,  making  them  appear  a  weak  squeamish- 
stomached  set  of  beings,  infected  with  all  the  prejudices  and 
antipathies  of  children. 

il  These  are  some  of  my  objections  to  this  work,  which,  how- 
ever, in  other  respects,  does  honour  to  the  talents,  learning, 
and  industry  of  the  compiler." 

In  the  month  of  October,  1804,  Wilson,  accompanied  with 
two  of  his  friends,  set  out  on  a  pedestrian  journey  to  visit  the 
far-famed  cataract  of  Niagara,  whereof  he  had  heard  much,  but 
which  he  had  never  had  an  opportunity  of  beholding.  The  pic- 
turesque scenery  of  that  beautiful  river,  the  vastness  and  sub- 
limity of  the  cataract,  as  might  be  expected,  filled  the  bosom 
of  our  traveller  with  the  most  rapturous  emotions.  And  he  ever 
after  declared,  that  no  language  was  sufficiently  comprehensive 
to  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  that  wonderful  curiosity. 

On  the  return  of  Wilson,  he  employed  his  leisure  moments 
in  writing  a  poetical  narrative  of  the  journey.  This  poem, 
which  contains  some  interesting  description,  and  pleasing  im- 
agery, is  entitled  "  THE  FORESTERS;"  and  was  gratuitously 
tendered  to  the  proprietors  of  the  Port  Folio,  and  published  in 
that  excellent  miscellany,  in  the  years  1809 — 10. 

This  expedition  was  undertaken  rather  too  late  in  the  season, 
and,  consequently,  our  travellers  were  subjected  to  hardships 
of  which  they  were  not  aware.  Winter  overtook  them  whilst 
in  the  Genessee  country,  in  their  return  by  the  way  of  Albany; 
and  they  were  compelled  to  trudge,  the  greater  part  of  the  route, 
through  snow  midleg  deep. 

TO  MR.    WM.    BARTRAM. 

Gray's  Ferry,  December  1 5th,  1804. 

"Though  now  snug  at  home,  looking  back  in  recollection 
on  the  long,  circuitous,  journey  which  I  have  at  length  finished, 


xliv  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

through  deep  snows,  and  almost  uninhabited  forests;  over  stu- 
pendous mountains,  and  down  dangerous  rivers:  passing  over, 
in  a  course  of  thirteen  hundred  miles,  as  great  a  variety  of  men 
and  modes  of  living,  as  the  same  extent  of  country  can  exhibit 
in  any  part  of  the  United  States — though  in  this  tour  I  have 
had  every  disadvantage  of  deep  roads  and  rough  weather;  hur- 
ried marches,  and  many  other  inconveniences  to  encounter, — 
yet  so  far  am  I  from  being  satisfied  with  what  I  have  seen,  or 
discouraged  by  the  fatigues  which  every  traveller  must  submit 
to,  that  I  feel  more  eager  than  ever  to  commence  some  more 
extensive  expedition;  where  scenes  and  subjects  entirely  new, 
and  generally  unknown,  might  reward  my  curiosity;  and  where 
perhaps  my  humble  acquisitions  might  add  something  to  the 
stores  of  knowledge.  For  all  the  hazards  and  privations  inci- 
dent to  such  an  undertaking,  I  feel  confident  in  my  own  spirit 
and  resolution.  With  no  family  to  enchain  my  affections;  no 
ties  but  those  of  friendship;  and  the  most  ardent  love  of  my 
adopted  country — with  a  constitution  which  hardens  amidst 
fatigues;  and  a  disposition  sociable  and  open,  which  can  find  it- 
self at  home  by  an  Indian  fire  in  the  depth  of  the  woods,  as 
well  as  in  the  best  apartment  of  the  civilized;  I  have  at  present 
a  real  design  of  becoming  a  traveller.  But  I  am  miserably  de- 
ficient in  many  acquirements  absolutely  necessary  for  such  a 
character.  Botany,  Mineralogy,  and  Drawing,  I  most  ardent- 
ly wish  to  be  instructed  in,  and  with  these  I  should  fear  no- 
thing. Can  I  yet  make  any  progress  in  Botany,  sufficient  to 
enable  me  to  be  useful,  and  what  would  be  the  most  proper 
way  to  proceed?  I  have  many  leisure  moments  that  should  be 
devoted  to  this  pursuit,  provided  I  could  have  hopes  of  suc- 
ceeding. Your  opinion  on  this  subject  will  confer  an  additional 
obligation  on  your  affectionate  friend.5' 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  when  men  of  uncommon  talents 
conceive  any  great  scheme,  they  usually  overlook  those  cir- 
cumstances of  minor  importance,  which  ordinary  minds  would 
estimate  as  first  deserving  attention.  Thus  Wilson,  with  an 
intellect  expanded  with  information,  and  still  grasping  at  fur- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xlv 

ther  improvement  as  a  means  of  distinction,  would  fain  become 
a  traveller,  even  at  the  very  moment  when  the  sum  total  of  his 
funds  amounted  to  seventy-five  cents! 

TO    MR.     WM.    DUNCAN. 

Gray's  Ferry,  December  24,  1804. 

"  You  have  no  doubt  looked  for  this  letter  long  ago,  but  1 
wanted  to  see  how  matters  would  finally  settle  with  respect  to 
my  school  before  I  wrote;  they  remain,  however,  as  uncertain 
as  before;  and  this  quarter  will  do  little  more  than  defray  my 
board  and  firewood.  Comfortable  intelligence  truly,  methinks 
I  hear  you  say;  but  no  matter.  *  *  *  * 

"  I  shall  begin  where  you  and  I  left  off  our  story,  viz.  at 
Aurora,  on  the  shores  of  the  Cayuga.*  The  evening  of  that 
day,  Issac  and  I  lodged  at  the  outlet  of  Owasco  Lake,  on  the 
turnpike,  seven  or  eight  miles  from  Cayuga  bridge;  we  waded 
into  the  stream,  washed  our  boots  and  pantaloons,  and  walked 
up  to  a  contemptible  dram-shop,  where,  taking  possession  of 
one  side  of  the  fire,  we  sat  deafened  with  the  noise  and  hubbub 
of  a  parcel  of  drunk  tradesmen.  At  five  next  morning  we 
started;  it  had  frozen;  and  the  road  was  in  many  places  deep 
and  slippery.  I  insensibly  got  into  a  hard  step  of  walking; 
Isaac  kept  groaning  a  rod  or  so  behind,  though  I  carried  his 
gun.  *  *  *  We  set  off  again;  and  we  stopped  at  the  out- 
let of  Skaneateles  Lake;  ate  some  pork-blubber  and  bread;  and 
departed.  At  about  two  in  the  afternoon  we  passed  Onondaga 
Hollow,  and  lodged  in  Manlius  square,  a  village  of  thirty 
houses,  that  have  risen  like  mushrooms  in  two  or  three  years; 
having  walked  this  day  thirty-four  miles.  On  the  morning  of 
the  22d  we  started  as  usual  by  five — road  rough — and  Isaac 
grunting  and  lagging  behind.  This  day  we  were  joined  by 
another  young  traveller,  returning  home  to  his  father's  on  the 
Mohawk;  he  had  a  pocket  bottle,  and  made  frequent  and  long 
applications  of  it  to  his  lips.  The  road  this  day  bad,  and  the 
snow  deeper  than  before.  Passing  through  Oneida  castle,  I  vi- 

*  Mn  Duncan  remained  among  his  friends  at  Aurora, 


xlvi  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

sited  every  house  within  three  hundred  yards  of  the  road,  and 
chatted  to  the  copper-coloured  tribe.  In  the  evening  we  lodged 
at  Lard's  tavern,  within  eleven  miles  of  Utica,  the  roads  de- 
plorably bad,  and  Isaac  and  his  disconsolate  companion  groan- 
ing at  every  step  behind  me,  so  that,  as  drummers  do  in  battle, 
I  was  frequently  obliged  to  keep  before,  and  sing  some  lively 
ditty,  to  drown  the  sound  of  their  ohs !  and  ahs !  and  0  Lords ! 
The  road  for  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  was  knee  deep  of  mud. 
We  entered  Utica  at  nine  the  next  .morning.  This  place  is 
three  times  larger  than  it  was  four  years  ago;  and  from  Oneida 
to  Utica  is  almost  an  entire  continued  village.  This  evening 
we  lodged  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mohawk,  fifteen  miles  below 
Utica,  near  which  I  shot  a  bird  of  the  size  of  a  Mocking-bird, 
which  proves  to  be  one  never  yet  described  by  naturalists.  I 
have  it  here  in  excellent  order.  From  the  town  called  Her- 
kimer  we  set  off  through  deep  mud,  and  some  snow;  and  about 
mid-day,  between  East  and  West  Canada  Creeks,  I  shot  three 
birds  of  the  Jay  kind,  all  of  one  species,  which  appears  to  be  un- 
described.  Mr.  Bartram  is  greatly  pleased  at  the  discovery; 
and  I  have  saved  two  of  them  in  tolerable  condition.  Below 
the  Little  Falls  the  road  was  excessively  bad,  and  Isaac  was  al- 
most in  despair,  in  spite  of  all  I  could  do  to  encourage  him.  We 
walked  this  day  twenty-four  miles;  and  early  on  the  25th  start- 
ed off  again  through  deep  mud,  till  we  came  within  fifteen 
miles  of  Schenectady,  when  a  boat  coming  down  the  river, 
Isaac  expressed  a  wish  to  get  on  board.  I  walked  six  miles 
afterwards  by  myself,  till  it  got  so  dark  that  I  could  hardly 
rescue  myself  from  the  mud  holes.  The  next  morning  I  en- 
tered Schenectady,  but  Isaac  did  not  arrive,  in  the  boat,  till 
noon.  Here  we  took  the  stage-coach  for  Albany,  the  roads 
being  excessively  bad,  and  arrived  there  in  the  evening.  Af- 
ter spending  two  days  in  Albany,  we  departed  in  a  sloop,  and 
reached  New  York  on  Saturday,  at  noon,  the  first  of  Decem- 
ber. My  boots  were  now  reduced  to  legs  and  upper  leathers; 
and  my  pantaloons  in  a  sad  plight.  Twelve  dollars  were  ex- 
pended on  these  two  articles. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xlvii 

On  Friday,  the  7th  December,  I  reached  Gray's  Ferry,  hav- 
ing walked  forty-seven  miles  that  day.  I  was  absent  two 
months  on  this  journey,  and  I  traversed  in  that  time  upwards 
of  twelve  hundred  miles. 

"  The  evening  of  my  arrival  I  went  to  L***h's,  whose  wife 
had  got  twins,  a  boy  and  a  girl.  The  boy  was  called  after  me: 
this  honour  took  six  dollars  more  from  me.  After  paying  for  a 
cord  of  wood,  I  was  left  with  only  three  quarters  of  a  dollar. " 

TO  MR.   WM.  BARTRAM. 

Union  School,  December,  24,  1804. 

"  I  have  perused  Dr.  Barton's  publication,*  and  return  it 
with  many  thanks  for  the  agreeable  and  unexpected  treat  it  has 
afforded  me.  The  description  of  the  falls  of  Niagara  is,  in  some 
places,  a  just,  though  faint,  delineation  of  that  stupendous  cata- 
ract. But  many  interesting  particulars  are  omitted;  and  much 
of  the  writer's  reasoning  on  the  improbability  of  the  wearing: 
away  of  the  precipice,  and  consequent  recession  of  the  Falls, 
seems  contradicted  by  every  appearance  there;  and  many  other 
assertions  are  incorrect.  Yet  on  such  a  subject,  every  thing, 
however  trifling,  seems  to  attract  attention:  the  reader's  imagi- 
nation supplying  him  with  scenery  in  abundance,  even  amidst 
the  feebleness  and  barrenness  of  the  meanest  writer's  descrip- 
tion. 

"  After  this  article,  I  was  most  agreeably  amused  with 
"Anecdotes  of  an  American  crow,"  written  in  such  a  pleasing 
style  of  playful  humour  as  I  have  seldom  seen  surpassed;  and 
forming  a  perfect  antidote  against  the  spleen  j  abounding,  at  the 
same  time,  with  observations  and  reflections  not  unworthy  of  a 
philosopher. 

"  The  sketch  of  your  father's  life,  with  the  extracts  from  his 
letters,  I  read  with  much  pleasure.  They  will  remain  lasting 
monuments  of  the  worth  and  respectability  of  the  father,  as 
well  as  of  the  filial  affection  of  the  son. 

*  The  Philadelphia  Medical  and  Physical  Journal,  vol.  I. 


xlviil  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

"  The  description  of  the  Chactaw  Bonepickers  is  a  picture  so 
horrible,  that  I  think  nothing  can  exceed  it.  Many  other  pieces 
in  this  work  are  new  and  interesting.  It  cannot  fail  to  promote 
the  knowledge  of  natural  history,  and  deserves,  on  this  account, 
every  support  and  encouragement." 

TO  MR.    WM.   BARTRAM. 

December  26,  1804. 

"I  send  for  your  amusement  the  ". Literary  Magazine"  for 
September,  in  which  you  will  find  a  well  written,  and,  except 
in  a  few  places,  a  correct  description  of  the  great  Falls  of  Nia- 
gara. I  yesterday  saw  a  drawing  of  them,  taken  in  1768,  and 
observe  that  many  large  rocks,  that  used  formerly  to  appear  in 
the  rapids  above  the  Horseshoe  falls,  are  now  swept  away;  and 
the  form  of  the  curve  considerably  altered,  the  consequence  of 
its  gradual  retrogression.  I  hope  this  account  will  entertain  you, 
as  I  think  it  by  far  the  most  complete  I  have  yet  seen. " 

TO  MR.    WM.    DUNCAN. 

Kingsessingj  February  20,  1805. 

"'I  received  yours  of  January  1,  and  wrote  immediately;  but 
partly  through  negligence,  and  partly  through  accident,  it  has 
not  been  put  into  the  post  office;  and  I  now  sit  down  to  give 

you  some  additional  particulars. 

*         •*         *         * 

"  This  winter  has  been  entirely  lost  to  me,  as  well  as  to  your- 
self. I  shall  on  the  twelfth  of  next  month  be  scarcely  able  to 
collect  a  sufficiency  to  pay  my  board,  having  not  more  than 
twenty-seven  scholars.  Five  or  six  families,  who  used  to  send 
me  their  children,  have  been  almost  in  a  state  of  starvation.  The 
rivers  Schuylkill  and  Delaware  are  still  shut,  and  wagons  are 
passing  and  repassing  at  this  moment  upon  the  ice. 

"  The  solitary  hours  of  this  winter  I  have  employed  in  com- 
pleting the  poem  which  I  originally  intended  for  a  description 
of  your  first  journey  to  Ovid.  It  is  now  so  altered  as  to  bear 
little  resemblance  to  the  original;  and  I  have  named  it  the  "  Fo- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xlix 

Testers"  It  begins  with  a  description  of  the  Fall  or  Indian 
Summer,  and  relates,  minutely,  our  peregrinations  and  adven- 
tures until  our  arrival  at  Catharine  Landing,  occupying  ten 
hundred  and  thirty  lines.  The  remainder  will  occupy  nearly 
as  much;  and  as  I  shall,  if  ever  I  publish  it,  insert  numerous 
notes,  I  should  be  glad,  if,  while  you  are  on  the  spot,  you  would 
collect  every  interesting  anecdote  you  can  of  the  country,  and 
of  the  places  which  we  passed  through.  Hunting  stories,  &c., 
peculiar  to  the  would  be  acceptable.  I  should  be 

extremely  glad  to  spend  one  afternoon  with  you  for  the  benefit 
of  your  criticisms.  I  lent  the  poem  to  Mr. 
our  senator,  who  seems  to  think  it  worth  reading;  and  *  * 
*  *  has  expressed  many  flattering  compliments  on  my  la- 
bours; but  I  dont  value  either  of  their  opinions  so  much  as  I 
would  yours.  I  have  bestowed  more  pains  upon  this  than  I 
ever  did  upon  any  former  poem;  and  if  it  contain  nothing  really 
good,  I  shall  for  ever  despair  of  producing  any  other  that  will. " 

TO  MR.   WM.  BARTRAM. 

March  4,  1805. 
"  My  dear  friend, 

"  This  day  the  heart  of  every  republican,  of  every  good  man, 
within  the  immense  limits  of  our  happy  country,  will  leap  with 

j°y- 

"  The  re-appointment  and  continuance  of  our  beloved  Jeffer- 
son to  superintend  our  national  concerns,  is  one  of  those  dis- 
tinguished blessings  whose  beneficent  effects  extend  to  posterity; 
and  whose  value  our  hearts  may  feel,  but  can  never  express. 

"  I  congratulate  with  you,  my  dear  friend,  on  this  happy 
event.  The  enlightened  philosopher, — the  distinguished  na- 
turalist,— the  jirst  statesman  on  earth, — the  friend,  the  or- 
nament of  science,  is  the  father  of  our  country,  the  faithful  guar- 
dian of  our  liberties.  May  the  precious  fruits  of  such  pre-eminent 
talents  long,  long  be  ours:  and  the  grateful  effusions  of  millions 
of  freemen,  at  a  far  distant  period,  follow  their  aged  and  ho- 
noured patriot  to  the  peaceful  tomb. 

VOL.   i. — o 


1  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

"  I  am  at  present  engaged  in  drawing  the  two  birds  which  I 
brought  from  the  Mohawk;  and,  if  I  can  finish  them  to  your 
approbation,  I  intend  to  transmit  them  to  our  excellent  presi- 
dent, as  the  child  of  an  amiable  parent  presents  to  its  affection- 
ate father  some  little  token  of  its  esteem." 

TO  MR.  WM.  DUNCAN. 

Gray's  Ferry ,  March  26,  1805. 

"I  received  your  letter  of  January  1,  sometime  about  the 
beginning  of  February;  and  wrote  the  same  evening  very  fully; 
but  have  heard  nothing  in  return.  Col.  S.  desires  me  to  tell 
you  to  be  in  no  uneasiness,  nor  part  with  the  place  to  a  disad- 
vantage on  his  account.  His  son  has  been  with  me  since  Ja- 
nuary. I  told  you  in  my  last  of  the  thinness  of  my  school:  it 
produced  me  the  last  quarter  only  twenty-six  scholars;  and  the 
sum  of  fifteen  dollars  was  all  the  money  I  could  raise  from 
them  at  the  end  of  the  term.  I  immediately  called  the  trustees 
together,  and,  stating  the  affair  to  them,  proposed  giving  up  the 
school.  Two  of  them  on  the  spot  offered  to  subscribe  between 
them  one  hundred  dollars  a-year,  rather  than  permit  me  to  go; 
and  it  was  agreed  to  call  a  meeting  of  the  people:  the  result  was 
honourable  to  me,  for  forty-eight  scholars  were  instantly  sub- 
scribed for;  so  that  the  ensuing  six  months  my  school  will  be 
worth  pretty  near  two  hundred  dollars.  So  much  for  my  af- 
fairs. *  *  *  * 

"  I  have  never  had  a  scrap  from  Scotland  since  last  summer; 
but  I  am  much  more  anxious  to  hear  from  you.  I  hope  you 
have  weathered  this  terrible  winter;  and  that  your  heart  and 
your  limbs  are  as  sound  as  ever.  I  also  most  devoutly  wish  that 
matters  could  be  managed  so  that  we  could  be  together.  This 
farm  must  either  be  sold,  or  let;  it  must  not  for  ever  be  a  great 
gulf  between  us.  I  have  spent  most  of  my  leisure  hours  this 
winter  in  writing  the  "Foresters,"  a  poem  descriptive  of  our 
journey.  I  have  brought  it  up  only  to  my  shooting  expedition 
at  the  head  of  the  Seneca  Lake;  and  it  amounts  already  to 
twelve  hundred  lines.  I  hope  that  when  you  and  I  meet,,  it 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  H 

will  afford  you  more  pleasure  than  any  of  my  productions  has 
ever  done.  The  two  nondescript  birds*  which  I  killed  on  the 
Mohawk,  attracted  the  notice  of  several  naturalists  about  Phi- 
ladelphia. On  the  fourth  of  March  I  set  to  work  upon  a  large 
sheet  of  fine  drawing  paper,  and  in  ten  days  I  finished  two  faith* 
ful  drawings  of  them,  far  superior  to  any  that  I  had  done  before. 
In  the  back  ground  I  represented  a  view  of  the  Falls  of  Nia- 
gara, with  the  woods  wrought  in  as  finely  as  I  possibly  could 
do.  Mr.  Lawson  was  highly  pleased  with  it,  and  Mr.  Bartram 
was  even  more  so.  I  then  wrote  a  letter  to  that  best  of  men, 
Mr.  Jefferson,  which  Mr.  Bartram  enclosed  in  one  of  his,  (both 
of  which,  at  least  copies  of  them,  I  shall  show  you  when  we 
meet, )  and  sent  off  the  whole,  carefully  rolled  up,  by  the  mail, 
on  the  20th  inst.  to  Monticello,  in  Virginia.  The  Jay  I  presented 
to  Mr.  Peale,  at  his  request;  and  it  is  now  in  the  Museum.  I 
have  done  but  few  other  drawings,  being  so  intent  on  the  poem. 
I  hope  if  you  find  any  curious  birds,  you  will  attempt  to  pre- 
serve them,  or  at  least  their  skins;  if  a  small  bird  be  carefully 
skinned,  it  can  easily  be  set  up  at  any  time.  I  still  intend  to 
complete  my  collection  of  drawings;  but  the  last  will  be  by  far 
the  best.  *  *  *  * 

"  The  poor  of  Philadelphia  have  suffered  extremely  this  win- 
ter, the  river  having  been  frozen  up  for  more  than  two  months, 
yet  the  ice  went  away  without  doing  any  damage.  I  must  again 
request  that  you  and  Alexander  would  collect  the  skins  of  as 
many  birds  as  you  have  not  seen  here.  *  *  *  *  The 
process  of  skinning  the  birds  may  amuse  you;  and  your  collec- 
tions will  fee  exceedingly  agreeable  to  me.  In  the  mean  time 
never  lose  sight  of  getting  rid  of  the  troublesome  farm,  if  it  can 
be  done  with  advantage;  so  that  we  may  once  more  be  together; 
and  write  to  me  frequently. 

"  I  have  now  nothing  more  to  say,  but  to  give  my  affection- 
ate compliments  to  your  mother  and  all  the  family;  and  to  wish 

*  One  of  these  birds  was  the  Canada  Jay,  (Am.  Om.  vol.  3,  p.  33.  ed.  1st.) 
which  was  known  to  naturalists. 


lil  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

you  every  comfort  that  the  state  of  society  you  are  in  can  af- 
ford. With  the  great  volume  of  Nature  before  you,  you  can 
never,  while  in  health,  be  without  amusement.  Keep  a  diary 
of  every  thing  you  meet  with  that  is  curious.  Look  out,  now 
and  then,  for  natural  curiosities  as  you  traverse  your  farm;  and 
remember  me  as  you  wander  through  your  woody  solitudes." 

FROM  MR.  JEFFERSON. 

Monticello,  *ftpril  7,  1805, 
"  Sir, 

"I  received  here  yesterday  your  favour  of  March  18,  with 
the  elegant  drawings  of  the  new  birds  you  found  on  your  tour 
to  Niagara,  for  which  I  pray  you  to  accept  my  thanks.  The 
Jay  is  quite  unknown  to  me.  From  my  observations  while  in 
Europe,  on  the  birds  and  quadrupeds  of  that  quarter,  I  am  of 
opinion  there  is  not  in  our  continent  a  single  bird  or  quadruped 
which  is  not  sufficiently  unlike  all  the  members  of  its  family 
there  to  be  considered  as  specifically  different;  on  this  general 
observation  I  conclude  with  confidence  that  your  Jay  is  not  a 
European  bird. 

"The  first  bird  on  the  same  sheet  I  judge  to  be  a  Muscicapa 
from  its  bill,  as  well  as  from  the  following  circumstance.  Two 
or  three  days  before  my  arrival  here  a  neighbour  killed  a  bird, 
unknown  to  him,  and  never  before  seen  here,  as  far  as  he  could 
learn;  it  was  brought  to  me  soon  after  I  arrived;  but  in  the  dusk 
of  the  evening,  and  so  putrid  that  it  could  not  be  approached 
but  with  disgust.  But  I  retain  a  sufficiently  exact  idea  of  its 
form  and  colours  to  be  satisfied  it  is  the  same  with  yours.  The 
only  difference  I  find  in  yours  is  that  the  white  on  the  back  is 
not  so  pure,  and  that  the  one  I  saw  had  a  little  of  a  crest.  Your 
figure,  compared  with  the  white  bellied  Gobe-mouche,  8  Buff. 
342.  PI.  enlum.  566,  shows  a  near  relation.  Buffon's  is  dark 
on  the  back. 

"  As  you  are  curious  in  birds,  there  is  one  well  worthy  your 
attention,  to  be  found,  or  rather  heard,  in  every  part  of  Ame- 
rica, and  yet  scarcely  ever  to  be  seen ;  it  is  in  all  the  forests, 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  liii 

from  spring  to  fall,  and  never  but  on  me  tops  of  the  tallest  trees, 
from  which  it  perpetually  serenades  us  with  some  of  the  sweet- 
est notes,  and  as  clear  as  those  of  the  nightingale.  I  have  fol- 
lowed it  for  miles  without  ever,  but  once,  getting  a  good  view 
of  it.  It  is  of  the  size  and  make  of  the  Mocking-bird,  lightly 
thrush-coloured  on  the  back,  and  a  grayish-white  on  the  breast 
and  belly.  Mr.  Randolph,  my  son-in-law,  was  in  possession  of 
one  which  had  been  shot  by  a  neighbour;  he  pronounces  this 
also  a  Muscicapa,  and  I  think  it  much  resembling  the  Mouche- 
rolle  de  la  Martinique,  8  Buffon,  374,  PI.  enlum.  568.  As  it 
abounds  in  all  the  neighbourhood  of  Philadelphia,  you  may  per- 
haps by  patience  and  perseverance  (of  which  much  will  be  re- 
quisite) get  a  sight,  if  not  a  possession  of  it.  I  have  for  twenty 
years  interested  the  young  sportsmen  of  my  neighbourhood  to 
shoot  me  one;  but  as  yet  without  success.  Accept  my  saluta- 
tions and  assurances  of  respect. 

TH.  JEFFERSON. 

TO    MR.    WM.    BARTRAM. 

April  18th,  1805. 

"  By  Mr.  Jefferson's  condescending  and  very  intelligent  let- 
ter to  me,  which  I  enclose  for  your  perusal,  it  appears  that  our 
Jay  is  an  entirely  new,  or  rather  undescribed  bird,  which  met 
me  on  the  banks  of  the  Mohawk,  to  do  me  the  honour  of  ush- 
ering him  to  the  world.  This  duty  I  have  conscientiously  dis- 
charged, by  introducing  him  to  two  naturalists:  the  one  endear- 
ed to  me,  and  every  lover  of  science,  by  the  benevolence  of  his 
heart;  and  the  other  ordained  by  Heaven  to  move  in  a  distin- 
guished orbit — an  honour  to  the  human  race — the  patron  of 
science,  and  best  hope  of  republicans !  I  say,  that  no  bird,  since 
Noah's  days,  could  boast  of  such  distinguished  honour. 

"  Mr.  Jefferson  speaks  of  a  very  strange  bird;  please  let  me 
know  what  it  is;  I  shall  be  on  the  look  out,  and  he  must  be  a 
sly  fellow  if  he  escape  me.  I  shall  watch  his  motions,  and  the 
sound  of  his  serenade,  pretty  closely,  to  be  able  to  transmit  to 


liV  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

our  worthy  president  a  faithful  sketch  of  a  bird,  which  he  has 
been  so  long  curious  to  possess. " 

TO    MR.    WM.    DUNCAN. 

Gray's  Ferry,  May  8th,  1805. 

^  I  am  glad  to  understand  that  the  plantation  is  increasing 
•so  fast  in  value,  but  more  so  that  it  is  not  either  sold  or  other- 
wise disposed  of  at  the  low  rate  at  which  we  would  have  once 
thrown  it  away;  yet  it  is  the  perpetual  cause  of  separating  us, 
which  I  am  very  sorry  for.  I  am  living  a  mere  hermit,  not 
spending  one  farthing,  to  see  if  I  possibly  can  reimburse  ****, 
who  I  can  see  is  not  so  courteous  and  affable  as  formerly.  I 
hope  to  be  able  to  pay  him  one  hundred  dollars,  with  interest, 
next  October,  and  the  remainder  in  the  spring;  we  shall  then 
be  clear  of  the  world;  and  I  don't  care  how  many  privations  I 
suffer  to  effect  that.  I  associate  with  nobody;  spend  my  leisure 
hours  in  drawing,  wandering  through  the  woods,  or  playing 
upon  the  violin. 

"  I  informed  you  in  my  last  of  sending  Mr.  Jefferson  draw- 
ings of  the  Falls,  and  some  birds,  which  I  found  on  the  Mo- 
hawk, and  which  it  seems  have  never  been  taken  notice  of  by 
any  naturalist  He  returned  me  a  very  kind  and  agreeable  let- 
ter, from  Monticello,  expressing  many  obligations  for  the  draw- 
ings, which  he  was  highly  pleased  with;  and  describing  to  me 
a  bird,  which  he  is  very  desirous  of  possessing,  having  inter- 
ested the  young  sportsmen  of  his  neighbourhood,  he  says,  these 
twenty  years,  to  shoot  him  one,  without  success.  It  is  of  the 
size  and  make  of  the  Mocking-bird,  lightly  thrush-coloured  on 
the  back,  and  grayish- white  on  the  breast;  is  never  heard  but 
from  the  tops  of  the  tallest  trees,  whence  it  continually  serer 
nades  us  with  some  of  the  sweetest  notes,  and  as  clear  as  those 
of  the  nightingale.  Mr.  Bartram  can  give  no  account  of  this 
bird,  except  it  be  the  Wood  Robin,  which  I  don't  think  it  is; 
for  Mr.  Jefferson  says,  «  it  is  scarcely  ever  to  be  seen;"  and 
"  I  have  followed  it  for  miles  without  ever,  but  once,  getting  a 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  ty 

good  view  of  it."*  I  have  been  on  the  look-out  ever  since,  but 
in  vain.  If  you  can  hear  of  such  a  bird,  let  me  know.  I  wish 
you  also  to  look  for  the  new  bird  which  I  discovered.  It  is  of 
the  size  of  the  Blue  Jay;  and  is  of  that  genus — of  a  dull  lead  co- 
lour on  the  back — the  forehead  white — black  on  the  back  of  the 
neck — the  breast  and  belly  a  dirty,  or  brownish  white,  with  a 
white  ring  round  its  neck — its  legs  and  bill  exactly  the  Jay's. 
Pray  inquire  respecting  it,  and  any  other  new  bird.  If  they 
could  be  conveyed  to  me,  drawings  of  them,  presented  to  the 
same  dignified  character,  might  open  the  road  to  a  better  ac- 
quaintance, and  something  better  might  follow.  Alexander  and 
you,  will,  I  hope,  be  on  the  look-out  with  the  gun,  and  kill  every 
bird  that  comes  in  your  way;  and  keep  written  descriptions,  or 
the  skins,  if  possible,  of  those  you  don't  know.  Were  I  able, 
I  would  undertake  another  journey  up  to  you  through  the 
woods,  while  the  birds  are  abundant;  and  nothing  would  give 
me  so  much  pleasure  as  to  make  another  extensive  tour  with 
you  for  this  purpose;  for  I  am  persuaded  that  there  are  many 
species  yet  undescribed;  and  Mr.  Jefferson  is  anxious  to  replen- 
ish his  museum  with  the  rare  productions  of  his  country." 

TO  MR.  WM.  DUNCAN. 

Gray's  Ferry,  May  31,  1805. 

"  Yesterday  evening  I  was  finishing  a  Hanging-bird  in  my 
silent  mansion,  musing  upon  a  certain  affairy  when  Mr.  L.  pop- 

*  After  many  inquiries,  and  an  unwearied  research,  it  turned  out  that  this 
invisible  musician  was  no  other  than  the  Wood  Robin,  a  bird  which,  if  sought 
for  in  those  places  which  it  affects,  may  be  seen  every  hour  of  the  day.  Its 
favourite  haunts  Wilson  has  beautifully  described  in  its  history;  but  so  far  from 
being  found  always  "on  the  tops  of  the  tallest  trees,"  it  is  seldom  seen  in 
such  places,  but  seems  to  prefer  the  horizontal  branches,  at  no  great  height, 
especially  when  piping  its  exquisitely  melodious  song.  One  of  its  names,  the 
Ground  Robin,  is  derived  from  the  circumstance  of  its  being  frequently  seen 
upon  the  ground.  Its  song  consists  of  several  distinct  parts,  at  the  conclusion 
of  each  of  which  it  commonly  flies  a  few  feet,  and  rests  just  long  enough  to 
continue  the  strain.  A'  person  unacquainted  with  these  particulars,  would  sup- 
pose that  he  heard  several  birds,  in  various  quarters,  responding  to  each  other, 
and  would  find  it  hard  to  believe  that  the  whole  was  the  performance  of  one. 


Ivi  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

ped  his  head  in  at  the  window,  with, a  letter.  I  instantly  laid 
down  my  pencil,  and  enjoyed  a  social  crack  with  my  distant 
friend;  and  was  heartily  and  truly  pleased  with  the  upshot.  In 
every  thing  relative  to  this  land  business,  you  have  acted  amidst 
difficulties  and  discouragements  with  prudence  and  discretion. 
In  refusing  to  engage  with  ******  yOU  acted  well;  and  I 
doubt  not  but  you  will  be  equally  circumspect  in  making  a 
transfer  of  the  property,  so  that  the  Yankee  will  not  be  able, 
even  if  he  were  willing,  to  take  you  in.  More  than  half  of  the 
roguery  of  one-half  of  mankind  is  owing  to  the  simplicity  of 
the  other  half.  You  have  my  hearty  concurrence  in  the  whole 
affair,  for  I  impatiently  wish  you  beside  me,  not  only  to  enjoy 
your  society  and  friendship,  but  to  open  to  you  the  book  of 
knowledge,  and  enable  you,  in  your  turn,  to  teach  it  to  others. 
In  plain  language,  I  wish  you  to  prosecute  your  studies  with 
me  a  few  months;  a  school  will  soon  be  found,  and  you  can  then 
pursue  them  without  expense,  and  I  trust  with  pleasure.  The 
business  has  indeed  its  cares,  but  affords  leisure  for  many  amuse- 
ments; and  is  decent  and  reputable  when  properly  discharged. 
I  am  living  in  solitude;  spending  nothing;  diligently  attending 
to  the  duties  of  the  day;  and  filling  up  every  leisure  moment 
with  drawing  and  music.  I  have  bought  no  clothes,  nor  shall 
I,  this  summer;  therefore  if  you  settle  the  matter  with  *  *  *  as 
you  have  agreed,  we  can  discharge  our  obligations  to  *  *  *  *, 
and  be  in  a  state  to  go  on  with  your  studies  for  at  least  six 
months.  Mr.  *  *  *  *  was  here  yesterday,  and  expressed  many 
acknowledgments  for  the  rapid  progress  *****  js  making,  for 
indeed  I  have  exerted  myself  to  pay  my  obligations  to  the  fa- 
ther by  my  attentions  to  the  son. 

"  I  wrote  you  respecting  the  letter  I  had  from  the  president. 
I  have  never  been  able  to  get  a  sight  of  the  bird  he  mentions. 
I  hope  you  will  not  neglect  to  bring  your  gun  with  you,  and 
look  out  as  you  come  along. 

"I  have  done  no  more  to  the  "  Foresters."  The  journey 
is  brought  up  to  my  expedition  upon  the  Seneca  Lake.  I  am 
much  in  want  of  notes  of  the  first  settlement,  and  present  state, 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  6       lvif 

of  the  different  places  that  we  passed,  as  we  went  up  the  Sus- 
quehannah;  every  thing  of  this  kind,  with  hunting  anecdotes, 
&c.  I  wish  you  to  collect  in  your  way  down.  The  remainder 
of  the  poem  will,  I  hope,  be  superior  to  what  is  already  writ- 
ten, the  scenery  and  incidents  being  more  interesting;  and  will 
extend  to  at  least  another  fifteen  hundred  lines,  which  will  make 
in  all  about  three  thousand.  *  The  notes  will  swell  it  to  a  tole- 
rable size. 

"The  i  Rural  Walk?  which  I  published  last  summer  in 
the  Literary  Magazine,  has  been  lately  republished  in  the  Port 
Folio, t  with  many  commendations  on  its  beauties.  The  '  So- 
litary Tutor'  met  with  much  approbation.  But  I  reserve  my 
best  efforts  for  the  remainder  of  the  (  Foresters.' 

"  I  have  not  mentioned  anything  of  the  sale  of  the  land,  nor 
shall  I  until  the  business  is  finally  concluded.    I  shall  expect  to 
hear  from  you  at  least  twice  yet  before  you  arrive;  and  I  hope 
you  will  make  no  unnecessary  delay  in  returning.    As  you  cut 
a  pretty  ragged  appearance  at  present,  and  want  something  to 
laugh  at,  suppose  you  set  your  muse  to  work  upon  your  tatter- 
demalian  dishabille.     The  former  neatness  of  your  garb,  con- 
trasted with  its  present  squalidness,  would  make  a  capital  sub- 
ject for  a  song,  not  forgetting  the  causes.     But  you  are  in  the 
dress  of  the  people  you  live  among:   you  are  therefore  in  cha- 
racter. B.  had  a  hat  on  when  I  was  up  in  your  quarter,  the  rim 
of  which  had  been  eaten  off,  close  to  his  head,  by  the  rats,  or, 
perhaps,  cut  off  to  make  soles  to  his  shoes;  yet  it  was  so  com- 
mon as  to  escape  observation.  I  saw  another  fellow,  too,  at  the 
tavern,  who  had  pieces  cut  out  of  his  behind,  like  a  swallow's 
tail."  * 

The  spring  of  the  year  1805  gave  to  the  enraptured  view  of 
our  naturalist  his  interesting  feathered  acquaintance.  He  lis- 
tened to  their  artless  songs ;  he  noted  their  habitudes;  he  sketch- 

*  Tliis  poem,  as  published  in  the  Port  Folio,  contains  two  thousand  two 
hundred  and  eighteen  lines.  It  is  illustrated  with  lour  plates,  two  of  which 
were  engraved  by  George  Cooke  of  London. 

t  For  April  27,  1805. 
VOL.  I. — H 


Iviii    *  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

ed  their  portraits.  And,  after  having  passed  a  few  months 
varied  with  this  charming  occupation,  he  again  writes  to  the 
respected  inhabitant  of  the  Botanic  Garden: 

Union  School,  July  2,  1805. 

"  I  dare  say  you  will  smile  at  my  presumption,  when  I  tell 
you  that  I  have  seriously  begun  to  make  a  collection  of  draw- 
ings of  the  birds  to  be  found  in  Pennsylvania,  or  that  occasion- 
ally pass  through  it:  twenty-eight,  as  a  beginning,  I  send  for 
your  opinion.  They  are,  I  hope,  inferior  to  what  I  shall  pro- 
duce, though  as  close  copies  of  the  originals  as  I  could  make. 
One  or  two  of  these  I  cannot  find  either  in  your  nomenclature, 
or  among  the  seven  volumes  of  Edwards.  I  have  never  been 
able  to  find  the  bird  Mr.  Jefferson  speaks  of,  and  begin  to  think 
that  it  must  be  the  Wood  Robin,  though  it  seems  strange  that 
he  should  represent  it  as  so  hard  to  be  seen.  Any  hint  for  pro- 
moting my  plan,  or  enabling  me  to  execute  better,  I  will  re- 
ceive from  you  with  much  pleasure.  I  have  resigned  every 
other  amusement,  except  reading  and  fiddling,  for  this  design, 
which  I  shall  not  give  up  without  making  a  fair  trial 

"  Criticise  these,  my  dear  friend,  without  fear  of  offending 
me — this  will  instruct,  but  not  discourage  me. — For  there  is 
not  among  all  our  naturalists  one  who  knows  so  well  what  they 
are,  and  how  they  ought  to  be  represented.  In  the  mean  time 
accept  of  my  best  wishes  for  your  happiness — wishes  as  sincere 
as  ever  one  human  being  breathed  for  another.  To  your  ad- 
vice and  encouraging  encomiums  I  am  indebted  for  these  few 
specimens,  and  for  all  that  will  follow.  They  may  yet  tell  pos- 
terity that  I  was  honoured  with  your  friendship,  and  that 
to  your  inspiration  they  owe  their  existence." 

The  plates  illustrative  of  the  natural  history  of  Edwards  were 
etched  by  the  author  himself.  Wilson  had  examined  them  very 
attentively,  and  felt  assured  that,  with  a  little  instruction  in  the 
art  of  etching,  he  could  produce  more  accurate  delineations;  and 
would  be  enabled,  by  his  superior  knowledge  of  colouring,  to 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  lix 

finish  the  figures  for  his  contemplated  work,  in  a  style  not  in- 
ferior to  his  spirited  and  beautiful  drawings  from  nature. 

Mr.  Lawson  was  of  course  consulted  on  this  occasion,  and 
cheerfully  contributed  his  advice  and  assistance  in  the  novel  and 
difficult  enterprise.  Wilson  procured  the  copper;  and,  the  for- 
mer having  laid  the  varnish,  and  furnished  the  necessary  tools, 
he  eagerly  commenced  the  important  operation,  on  the  success- 
ful termination  of  which  his  happiness  seemed  to  depend. 

Let  the  reader  pause  and  reflect  on  the  extravagance  of  that 
enthusiasm,  which  could  lead  a  person  to  imagine,  that,  with- 
out any  knowledge  of  an  art  derived  from  experience,  he  could 
at  once  produce  that  effect,  which  is  the  result  only  of  years  of 
trial  and  diligence. 

The  next  day  after  Wilson  had  parted  from  his  preceptor,  the 
latter,  to  use  his  own  words,  was  surprised  to  behold  him  bounc- 
ing into  his  room,  crying  out — "  /  have  finished  my  plate!  let 
us  bite  it  in  with  the  aquafortis  at  once,  for  I  must  have  a 
proof  before  I  leave  town!*  Lawson  burst  into  laughter  at  the 
ludicrous  appearance  of  his  friend  animated  with  impetuous 
zeal;  and  to  humour  him  granted  his  request.  A  proof  was 
taken,  but  fell  far  short  of  Wilson's  expectations,  or  of  his  ideas 
of  correctness.  However,  he  lost  no  time  in  conferring  with 
Mr.  Bartram,  to  whom  he  wrote  as  follows: 

66  Nov.  29,  1805. 

"  I  have  been  amusing  myself  this  some  time  in  attempting 
to  etch;  and  now  send  you  a  proof-sheet  of  my  first  performance 
in  this  way.  Be  so  good  as  communicate  to  me  your  own  cor- 
rections, and  those  of  your  young  friend  and  pupil.  I  will  re- 

*  For  the  information  of  those  of  our  readers,  who  are  unacquainted  with 
the  process  of  etching1,  we  subjoin  the  following  explanatory  note: — 

Upon  the  polished  copper-plate,  a  coat  of  varnish,  of  a  particular  compo- 
sition, is  thinly  spread.  The  design  is  then  traced,  and  cut  through  to  the 
copper,  with  an  instrument  termed  a  point.  A  bank  of  wax  is  now  raised 
around  the  plate,  and  aquafortis  poured  into  the  enclosure,  which  acid  eats 
into  the  copper  only  where  the  point  had  past.  The  length  of  time  requi- 
site for  the  successful  action  of  the  aquafortis,  must  be  determined  by  the 
judgment  of  the  operator. 


1X  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

ceive  them  as  a  very  kind  and  particular  favour.  The  draw- 
ings which  I  also  send,  that  you  may  compare  them  together, 
were  done  from  birds  in  full  plumage,  and  in  the  best  order. 
My  next  attempt  in  etching  will  perhaps  be  better,  every  thing 
being  new  to  me  in  this.  I  will  send  you  the  first  impression 
I  receive  after  I  finish  the  plate." 

In  a  short  time  another  plate  was  prepared  and  completed 
with  the  despatch  of  the  former.  In  fulfilment  of  his  promise 
to  his  friend,  he  transmits  a  proof,  accompanied  with  the  fol- 
lowing note: 

"  Mr.  Wilson's  affectionate  compliments  to  Mr  Bartram;  and 
sends  for  his  amusement  and  correction  another  proof  of  his 
Birds  of  the  United  States.  The  colouring  being  chiefly  done 
last  night,  must  soften  criticism  a  little.  Will  be  thankful  for 
my  friend's  advice  and  correction. 

"  Mr.  Wilson  wishes  his  beloved  friend  a  happy  new-year, 
and  every  blessing." 

Saturday,  January  4th,  1806. 

These  essays  in  etching,*  though  creditable  to  Wilson's  in- 
genuity and  perseverance,  yet  by  no  means  afforded  satisfac- 
tion. He  became  now  convinced  that  the  point  alone  was  not 
sufficient  to  produce  the  intended  effect;  and  that  nothing  short 
of  the  accuracy  of  the  graver  would  in  any  wise  correspond  to 
his  ideas  of  excellence.  But  in  the  art  of  engraving  he  had  ne- 
ver been  instructed;  and  he  could  not  command  means  suffi- 
cient to  cover  the  expense  of  the  plates  even  of  a  single  volume, 
on  the  magnificent  plan  which  his  comprehensive  mind  had 
delineated.  A  proposition  was  now  made  to  Mr.  Lawson  to 
engage  in  the  work,  on  a  joint  concern.  But  there  were  se- 
veral objections  which  this  gentleman  urged,  sufficiently 
weighty,  in  his  opinion,  to  warrant  his  non-acceptance  of  the 
offer.  Wilson,  finding  his  schemes  thus  baffled,  declared,  with 

*  The  two  first  plates  of  the  Ornithology  are  those  which  the  author  etch- 
ed himself.  The  writer  of  this  sketch  has  in  his  possession  a  proof  of  the 
first  one,  which  he  preserves  as  a  relic  of  no  small  value.  It  is  inscribed 
with  the  author's  name. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  Ixi 

solemn  emphasis,  his  resolution  of  proceeding  alone  in  the  pub- 
lication, if  it  should  even  cost  him  his  life.  "  I  shall  at  least 
leave,"  continued  he,  "a  small  beacon  to  point  out  where  I 
perished.." 

TO    MR.     WM.    BARTRAM. 

Jan.  27,  1806. 

"  Being  in  town  on  Saturday,  I  took  the  opportunity  of  call- 
ing on  Mr. ,  who,  in  1804,  went  down  the  Ohio,  with 

one  companion,  in  a  small  bateau.  They  sometimes  proceed- 
ed seventy  miles  in  twenty-four  hours,  going  often  night  and 
day.  They  had  an  awning;  and  generally  slept  on  board  the 
boat,  without  ever  catching  cold,  or  any  inconvenience  by 
moschetoes,  except  when  in  the  neighbourhood  of  swamps. 
He  describes  the  country  as  exceedingly  beautiful.  The  object 
of  their  journey  being  trade,  they  had  neither  gun  nor  fishing- 
tackle;  and  paid  little  or  no  attention  to  natural  objects.  He 
says  the  navigation  of  a  bateau  is  perfectly  easy,  and  attended 
with  no  hazard  whatever.  One  solitary  adventurer  passed 
them  in  a  small  boat,  going  from  Wheeling  to  New  Orleans. 

"  If,  my  dear  friend,  we  should  be  so  happy  as  to  go  toge- 
ther, what  would  you  think  of  laying  our  design  before  Mr. 
Jefferson,  with  a  view  to  procure  his  advice,  and  recommenda- 
tion to  influential  characters  in  the  route?  Could  we  procure 
his  approbation  and  patronage,  they  would  secure  our  success. 
Perhaps  he  might  suggest  some  improvements  in  our  plan.  Had 
we  a  good  companion,  intimately  acquainted  with  mineralogy, 
who  would  submit  to  our  economical  plan  of  proceeding,  it 
would  certainly  enhance  the  value  of  the  expedition.  However, 
this  I  have  no  hopes  of. 

"  I  see,  by  the  newspapers,  that  Mr.  Jefferson  designs  to  em- 
ploy persons  to  explore  the  shores  of  the  Mississippi  the  ensu- 
ing summer:  surely  our  exertions  would  promote  his  wishes.  I 
write  these  particulars  that  you  may  give  them  the  considera- 
tion they  deserve;  and  will  call  upon  you  to  deliberate  further 
on  the  affair. 


Ixii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

To  the  Same. 

February  3,  1806. 

"  The  enclosed  sketch  of  a  letter  is  submitted  for  your  opi- 
nion, and,  if  approved,  I  must  request  of  you  the  favour  to  en- 
close it  in  one  of  your  own  to  Mr.  Jefferson.  You  see  I  am 
serious  in  my  design  of  traversing  our  southern  wildernesses. 
Disappointed  in  your  company,  I  have  no  hopes  in  another's 
that  would  add  any  value  to  the  Ohio  tour.  I  am  therefore 
driven  to  this  expedient,  and  I  hope  it  will  succeed.  Please  to 
let  me  hear  your  sentiments  on  this  affair  to-morrow  morning ; 
and  oblige  yours,  &c. " 

To  the  Same. 

February  5,  1806. 

"  I  am  infinitely  obliged  to  you,  my  dear  friend,  for  your 
favourable  opinion  of  me,  transmitted  to  the  president.  Should 
an  engagement  be  the  consequence,  I  will  merit  the  character 
which  you  have  given  of  me,  or  perish  in  the  endeavour  to  de- 
serve it.  Accept  my  assurances  of  perpetual  affection  and  es- 
teem. 

"The  letters  go  off  to-morrow. " 

It  will  be  perceived,  by  the  foregoing  letters,  that  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  had  it  in  contemplation  to  despatch 
men  of  science,  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the  country  of  the 
Mississippi.  Wilson  now  conceived  that  a  favourable  oppor- 
tunity would  be  afforded  him  of  gratifying  a  desire,  which  he 
had  long  indulged,  of  visiting  those  regions,  which  he  was  con- 
vinced were  rich  in  the  various  objects  of  science;  and,  parti- 
cularly, where  subjects,  new  and  interesting,  might  be  collect- 
ed for  his  embryo  work  on  the  Ornithology  of  our  country. 
He  expressed  his  wishes  to  Mr.  Bartram,  who  approved  of 
them;  and  the  latter  cheerfully  wrote  to  his  correspondent,  Mr. 
Jefferson,  stating  Wilson's  character  and  acquirements;  and  re- 
commending him  as  one  highly  qualified  to  be  employed  in 
that  important  national  enterprise.  This  introductory  letter, 
endited  in  the  most  respectful  terms,  was  accompanied  with 


LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

an  application  from  Wilson  himself,  which,  as  a  faithful  bio- 
grapher of  my  friend,  I  here  think  proper  to  insert  entire: — 

"  TO  HIS  EXCELLENCY  THOMAS  JEFFERSON, 

"  President  of  the  United  States. 
"  Sir, 

"  Having  been  engaged,  these  several  years,  in  collecting 
materials,  and  furnishing  drawings  from  nature,  with  the  de- 
sign of  publishing  a  new  Ornithology  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  so  deficient  in  the  works  of  Catesby,  Edwards,  and 
other  Europeans,  I  have  traversed  the  greater  part  of  our 
northern  and  eastern  districts;  and  have  collected  many  birds 
undescribed  by  these  naturalists.  Upwards  of  one  hundred 
drawings  are  completed;  and  two  plates  in  folio  already  en- 
graved. But  as  many  beautiful  tribes  frequent  the  Ohio,  and 
the  extensive  country  through  which  it  passes,  that  probably 
never  visit  the  Atlantic  states;  and  as  faithful  representations 
of  these  can  be  taken  only  from  living  nature,  or  from  birds 
newly  killed;  I  had  planned  an  expedition  down  that  river, 
from  Pittsburg  to  the  Mississippi,  thence  to  New  Orleans,  and 
to  continue  my  researches  by  land  in  return  to  Philadelphia, 
I  had  engaged  as  a  companion  and  assistant  Mr.  William  Bar- 
tram  of  this  place,  whose  knowledge  of  Botany,  as  well  as 
Zoology,  would  have  enabled  me  to  make  the  best  of  the  voy- 
age, and  to  collect  many  new  specimens  in  both  those  depart- 
ments. Sketches  of  these  were  to  have  been  taken  on  the  spot; 
and  the  subjects  put  in  a  state  of  preservation  to  finish  our 
drawings  from,  as  time  would  permit.  We  intended  to  set 
out  from  Pittsburg  about  the  beginning  of  May;  and  expected 
to  reach  New  Orleans  in  September. 

"  But  my  venerable  friend,  Mr.  Bartram,  taking  into  more 
serious  consideration  his  advanced  age,  being  near  seventy,  and 
the  weakness  of  his  eye-sight;  and  apprehensive  of  his  inability 
to  encounter  the  fatigues  and  deprivations  unavoidable  in  so 
extensive  a  tour;  having,  to  my  extreme  regret,  and  the  real 
loss  of  science,  been  induced  to  decline  the  journey;  I  had  re- 
luctantly abandoned  the  enterprise,  and  all  hopes  of  accom- 


lxiv  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

-plishing  my  purpose;  till  hearing  that  your  excellency  had  it 
in  contemplation  to  send  travellers  this  ensuing  summer  up  the 
Red  River,  the  Arkansaw,  and  other  tributary  streams  of  the 
Mississippi;  and  believing  that  my  services  might  be  of  advan- 
tage to  some  of  these  parties,  in  promoting  your  excellency's 
design;  while  the  best  opportunities  would  be  afforded  me  of 
procuring  subjects  for  the  work  which  I  have  so  much  at  heart; 
under  these  impressions  I  beg  leave  to  offer  myself  for  any  of 
these  expeditions;  and  can  be  ready  at  a  short  notice  to  attend 
your  excellency's  orders. 

u  Accustomed  to  the  hardships  of  travelling,  without  a  fami- 
ly, and  an  enthusiast  in  the  pursuit  of  Natural  History,  I  will 
devote  my  whole  powers  to  merit  your  excellency's  approba- 
tion; and  ardently  wish  for  an  opportunity  of  testifying  the  sin- 
cerity of  my  professions,  and  the  deep  veneration  with  which 
I  have  the  honour  to  be, 

"  Sir, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

ALEX.   WILSON."* 
Kingsess,  Feb.  6,  1806. 

Mr.  Jefferson  had  in  his  port-folio  decisive  proofs  of  Wilson's 
talents  as  an  ornithologist,  the  latter  having  some  time  before, 
as  the  reader  will  have  observed,  transmitted  to  his  excellency 
some  elegant  drawings  of  birds,  accompanied  with  descriptions. 
Yet  with  these  evidences  before  him,  backed  with  the  recom- 
mendation of  a  discerning  and  experienced  naturalist,  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson was  either  so  scandalized  at  the  informal  application  of 
our  ornithologist,  or  so  occupied  in  the  great  concerns  of  his  ex- 
alted station,  that  no  answer  was  returned  to  the  overture;  and 
the  cause  of  the  supposed,  contemptuous  neglect,  neither  Wil- 
son nor  Bartram  could  ever  ascertain. 

Whatever  might  have  been  the  views  of  the  president,  who 
unquestionably  bore  an  effective  part  in  scheming  and  encourag- 

*  Wilson  was  particularly  anxious  to  accompany  Pike,  who  commenced 
his  journey  from  the  cantonment  on  the  Missouri,  for  the  sources  of  the  Ar- 
kansaw, &c.  on  the  15th  July,  1806. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  Ixy 

ing  the  expeditions  commanded  by  Lewis  and  Clark,  and  Pike, 
there  can  be  but  one  opinion  on  the  insufficiency  of  that  plan  of 
discovery  which  does  not  embrace  the  co-operation  of  men  of 
letters  and  science:  those  whose  knowledge  will  teach  them  to 
select  what  is  valuable,  and  whose  learning  will  enable  them 
to  digest  it  for  the  advantage  of  others.  We  would  not  draw 
an  invidious  comparison  between  the  expeditions  above-men- 
tioned, and  those  under  the  command  of  Major  Long;  but  we 
will  rest  in  the  hope  that,  as  the  government  now  appears  to 
be  sensible  of  the  beneficial  effects  resulting  from  a  liberal  and 
enlightened  policy,  it  will  continue  to  foster  that  spirit  of  enter- 
prise which  distinguishes  some  of  our  citizens;  and  which,  if 
properly  directed,  will  redound  to  the  honour  and  glory  of  our 
country. 

TO  MR.   WILLIAM  DUNCAN. 

Gray's  Ferry,  Feb.  26,  1806. 

"Notwithstanding  the  great  esteem  I  have  for  your  judg- 
ment, in  preference,  many  times,  to  my  own,  yet  I  believe  we 
are  both  wrong  in  the  proposed  affair  of  Saturday  week.  I  have 
not  the  smallest  ambition  of  being  considered  an  orator;  and 
would  it  not,  by  some,  be  construed  into  vanity,  or  something 
worse,  for  me  to  go  all  the  way  from  this  place  to  deliver  a  po- 
litical lecture  at  Milestown?  Politics  has  begot  me  so  many 
enemies,  both  in  the  old  and  new  world,  and  has  done  me  so 
little  good,  that  I  begin  to  think  the  less  you  and  I  harangue  on 
that  subject  the  better.  I  do  not  say  this  from  any  doubt  I  have 
of  being  able  to  say  something  on  the  subject,  but  much  ques- 
tion the  policy  and  prudence  of  it.  If  you  and  I  attend  punctu- 
ally to  the  duties  of  our  profession,  and  make  our  business  our 
pleasure;  and  the  improvement  of  our  pupils,  with  their  good 
government,  our  chief  aim;  honour,  and  respectability,  and  suc- 
cess will  assuredly  attend  us,  even  if  we  never  open  our  lips  on 
politics. 

"  These  have  been  some  of  my  reflections  since  we  parted. 
I  hope  you  will  weigh  them  in  your  own  mind,  and  acquiesce 

VOL.  i. — i 


Ixvi  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

in  my  resolution  of  not  interfering  in  the  debate  on  Saturday, 
as  we  talked  of.  At  the  same  time  I  am  really  pleased  to  see 
the  improvement  the  practice  has  produced  in  you ;  and  would 
by  no  means  wish  to  dissuade  you  from  amusing  and  exercising 
your  mind  in  this  manner;  because  I  know  that  your  modera- 
tion in  sentiment  and  conduct  will  always  preserve  you  from 
ill  will  on  any  of  these  scores.  But  as  it  could  add  nothing  to 
my  fame,  and  as  they  have  all  heard  me,  often  enough,  on  dif- 
ferent subjects,  about  Milestown;  and  as  it  would  raise  no  new 
friends  to  you,  but  might  open  old  sores  in  some  of  your  pre- 
sent friends,  I  hope  you  will  agree  with  me  that  it  will  be  pru- 
dent to  decline  the  affair.  And  as  you  have  never  heard  me 
deliver  any  of  my  own  compositions  in  this  way,  I  will  com- 
mit a  speech  to  memory  which  I  delivered  at  Milestown,  in 
the  winter  of  1800,  and  pronounce  it  to  you  when  we  are  by 
ourselves  in  the  woods,  where  we,  can  offend  nobody. 

"  I  have  heard  nothing  from  Washington  yet;  and  I  begin  to 
think  that  either  Mr.  Jefferson  expects  a  brush  with  the  Span- 
iards, or  has  not  received  our  letters;  otherwise  he  would  never 
act  so  impolitely  to  one  for  whom  he  has  so  much  esteem  as 
for  Mr.  Bartram.  No  hurry  of  business  could  excuse  it.  But 
if  affairs  are  not  likely  to  be  settled  with  Spain,  very  probably 
the  design  of  sending  parties  through  Louisiana  will  be  suspend- 
ed. Indeed  I  begin  to  think  that  if  I  should  not  be  engaged  by 
Mr.  Jefferson,  a  journey  by  myself,  and  at  my  own  expense, 
at  a  time,  too,  when  we  are  just  getting  our  heads  above  water, 
as  one  may  say,  would  not  be  altogether  good  policy.  Perhaps 
in  another  year  we  might  be  able,  without  so  much  injury,  to 
make  a  tour  together,  through  part  of  the  south-west  countries, 
which  would  double  all  the  pleasures  of  the  journey  to  me.  I 
will  proceed  in  the  affair  as  you  may  think  best,  notwithstand- 
ing my  eager  wishes,  and  the  disagreeableness  of  my  present 
situation.  I  write  this  letter  in  the  schoolhouse — past  ten  at 
night — L.  's  folks  all  gone  to  roost — the  flying  squirrels  rattling 
in  the  loft  above  me,  and  the  cats  squalling  in  the  cellar  below. 
Wishing  you  a  continuation  of  that  success  in  teaching,  which 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  Ixvii 

has  already  done  you  so  much  credit,  I  bid  you  for  the  present 
good-night." 

We  now  approach  that  era  of  Wilson's  life,  in  which  we  be- 
hold him  emerging  from  the  vale  of  obscurity,  and  attaining  that 
enviable  distinction,  in  the  republic  of  science  and  letters,  which 
it  is  the  lot  of  but  few  to  enjoy. 

Mr.  Samuel  F.  Bradford,  bookseller,  of  Philadelphia,  being 
about  to  publish  an  edition  of  Rees's  New  Cyclopaedia,  Wilson 
was  introduced  to  him  as  one  qualified  to  superintend  the  work; 
and  was  engaged,  at  a  liberal  salary,  as  assistant  editor.  The 
articles  of  agreement  are  dated  the  20th  of  April,  1806. 

TO  MR.    WM.   BARTRAM. 

Philadelphia,  Jlpril  22d,  1806. 
"My  dear  friend, 

"I  take  the  liberty  of  informing  you  that  having  been  im- 
portuned to  engage  as  assistant  editor  of  that  comprehensive  and 
voluminous  work,  Rees's  New  Cyclopaedia,  now  publishing 
here,  and  a  generous  salary  offered  me,  I  have  now  accepted  of 
the  same,  and  will  commence  my  new  avocation  on  Monday 
next. 

"This  engagement  will,  I  hope,  enable  me,  in  more  ways 
than  one,  to  proceed  in  my  intended  Ornithology,  to  which  all 
my  leisure  moments  will  be  devoted.  In  the  mean  time  I  an- 
ticipate, with  diffidence,  the  laborious,  and  very  responsible, 
situation  I  am  soon  to  be  placed  in,  requiring  a  much  more  gene- 
ral fund  of  scientific  knowledge,  and  stronger  powers  of  mind, 
than  I  am  possessed  of;  but  all  these  objections  have  been  over- 
ruled, and  I  am  engaged,  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  S.  F.  Brad- 
ford, to  conduct  the  publication.  In  this  pursuit  I  will  often 
solicit  your  advice,  and  be  happy  to  communicate  your  obser- 
vations to  posterity.  Shut  up  from  the  sweet  scenes  of  rural 
nature,  so  dear  to  my  soul,  conceive  to  yourself  the  pleasures 
I  shall  enjoy  in  sometimes  paying  a  visit  to  your  charming  Re- 
treat, and  you  cannot  doubt  of  frequently  seeing  your  very  sin- 
cere friend." 


Ixviil  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

Not  long  after  his  engagement,  he  unfolded  his  mind  to  Mr. 
Bradford  on  the  subject  of  his  projected  Ornithology;  and  ex- 
hibited such  evidence  of  his  talents  for  a  work  of  that  nature, 
that  the  latter  promptly  agreed  to  become  the  publisher  of  it, 
and  to  furnish  the  requisite  funds;  and  now,  for  the  first  time, 
Wilson  found  those  obstructions  removed,  which  had  opposed 
his  favourite  enterprise. 

TO  MR.    WILSON  AT  THE  FALLS  OF  NIAGARA. 

Philadelphia,  July  8th,  1806. 
"  Dear  Sir, 

"This  will  be  handed  to  you  by  Mr.  Michaux,  a  gentleman 
of  an  amiable  character,  and  a  distinguished  naturalist,  who  is 
pursuing  his  botanical  researches  through  North  America,  and 
intends  visiting  the  Cataract  of  Niagara.  The  kindness  1  re- 
ceived from  your  family  in  1804  makes  me  desirous  that  my 
friend,  Mr.  Michaux,  should  reside  with  you  during  his  stay  at 
Niagara;  and  any  attention  paid  to  him  will  be  considered  as 
done  to  myself,  and  suitable  acknowledgments  made  in  person 
by  me  on  my  arrival  at  Niagara,  which  I  expect  will  be  early 
next  spring. 

66  You  will  be  so  good  as  give  Mr.  Michaux  information  re- 
specting the  late  rupture  of  the  rock  at  the  falls,  of  the  burning 
spring  above,  and  point  out  to  him  the  place  of  descent  to  the 
rapids  below,  with  any  other  information  respecting  the  won- 
derful scenery  around  you. 

"In  the  short  stay  I  made,  and  the  unfavourable  weather  I 
experienced,  I  was  prevented  from  finishing  my  intended  sketch 
equal  to  my  wishes;  but  I  design  to  spend  several  weeks  with 
you,  and  not  only  take  correct  drawings,  but  particular  descrip- 
tions of  every  thing  relating  to  that  stupendous  Cataract,  and 
to  publish  a  more  complete  and  satisfactory  account,  and  a  bet- 
ter representation  of  it,  than  has  been  yet  done  in  the  United 
States.  * 

*  Wilson's  subsequent  engagements  prevented  his  return  to  the  Falls,  in 
conformity  with  his  wishes;  but  his  sketches  were  completed  by  an  artist,  en- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON,  Ixix 

"  I  had  a  rough  journey  home  through  the  Genessee  country, 
which  was  covered  with  snow  to  the  depth  of  fifteen  inches, 
and  continued  so  all  the  way  to  Albany.  If  you  know  of  any 
gentlemen  in  your  neighbourhood  acquainted  with  botany,  be 
so  good  as  introduce  Mr.  Michaux  to  them." 

TO  MR.   WM.   DUNCAN. 

Philadelphia,  April  8,  1807. 

"  Enclosed  is  a  proof-sheet  of  our  prospectus;  as  soon  as  the 
impressions  are  thrown  off  on  fine  paper,  I  will  transmit  one 
for  Mr.  L.  This  afternoon  Mr.  Lawson  is  to  have  one  of  the 
plates  completely  finished;  and  I  am  going  to  set  the  copper- 
plate printer  at  work  to  print  each  bird  in  its  natural  colours, 
which  will  be  a  great  advantage  in  colouring,  as  the  black  ink 
will  not  then  stain  the  fine  tints.  We  mean  to  bind  in  the  pro- 
spectus at  the  end  of  the  next  half  volume,  for  which  purpose 
twenty-five  hundred  copies  are  to  be  thrown  off;  and  an  agent 
will  be  appointed  in  every  town  in  the  Union.  The  prospectus 
will  also  be  printed  in  all  the  newspapers;  and  every  thing  done 
to  promote  the  undertaking. 

"  I  hope  you  have  made  a  beginning,  and  have  already  a 
collection  of  heads,  bills  and  claws,  delineated.  If  this  work 
should  go  on,  it  will  be  a  five  years  affair;  and  may  open  the 
way  to  something  more  extensive;  for  which  reason  I  am  anx- 
ious to  have  you  with  me  to  share  the  harvest. 

"  I  started  this  morning,  by  peep  of  day,  with  my  gun,  for 
the  purpose  of  shooting  a  nuthatch.  After  jumping  a  hundred 
fences,  and  getting  over  the  ancles  in  mud,  (for  I  had  put  on 
my  shoes  for  lightness,)  I  found  myself  almost  at  the  junction 
of  the  Schuylkill  and  Delaware,  without  success,  there  being 
hardly  half  an  acre  of  woodland  in  the  whole  neck;  and  the 
nuthatch  generally  frequents  large-timbered  woods.  I  returned 
home  at  eight  o'clock,  after  getting  completely  wet,  and  in  a 

graved  by  George  Cooke  of  London,  and  illustrate  his  poem  of  the  "Forest- 
ers," which  was  published  in  the  Port  Folio.  These  well-engraved  views, 
which  are  two  in  number,  convey  a  good  idea  of  the  famous  Cataract;  the 
"Great  Pitch,"  in  particular,  is  admirably  represented. 


Ixx  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

profuse  perspiration,  which,  contrary  to  the  maxims  of  the  doc- 
tors, has  done  me  a  great  deal  of  good;  and  I  intend  to  repeat 
the  dose;  except  that  I  shall  leave  out  the  ingredient  of  the  wet 
feet,  if  otherwise  convenient.  Were  I  to  prescribe  such  a  re- 
medy to  Lawson,  he  would  be  ready  to  think  me  mad.  Mode- 
rate, nay  even  pretty  severe  exercise,  is  the  best  medicine  in 
the  world  for  sedentary  people,  and  ought  not  to  be  neglected 
on  any  account/' 

TO  MR.   WM.   BARTRAM. 

Philadelphia,  April  29,  1807. 
"My  dear  sir, 

"  The  receipt  of  yours  of  the  1 1th  inst.  in  which  you  approve 
of  my  intended  publication  of  American  Ornithology,  gave  me 
much  satisfaction;  and  your  promise  of  befriending  me  in  the 
arduous  attempt  commands  my  unfeigned  gratitude.  From  the 
opportunities  I  have  lately  had,  of  examining  into  the  works  of 
Americans,  who  have  treated  of  this  part  of  our  natural  history, 
I  am  satisfied  that  none  of  them  have  bestowed  such  minute  at- 
tention on  the  subject  as  you  yourself  have  done.  Indeed  they 
have  done  little  more  than  copied  your  nomenclature  and  ob- 
servations, and  referred  to  your  authority.  To  have  you,  there- 
fore, to  consult  with  in  the  course  of  this  great  publication  I 
consider  a  most  happy  and  even  auspicious  circumstance;  and 
I  hope  you  will,  on  all  occasions,  be  a  rigid  censor,  and  kind 
monitor,  whenever  you  find  me  deviating  from  the  beauties  of 
nature,  or  the  truth  of  description. 

"  The  more  I  read  and  reflect  upon  the  subject,  the  more  dis- 
satisfied I  am  with  the  specific  names  which  have  been  used  by 
almost  every  writer.  A  name  should,  if  possible,  be  expressive 
of  some  peculiarity  in  colour,  conformation,  or  habit;  if  it  will 
equally  apply  to  two  different  species,  it  is  certainly  an  impro- 
per one.  Is  migratorius  an  epithet  peculiarly  applicable  to  the 
robin?  Is  it  not  equally  so  to  almost  every  species  of  turdus 
we  have?  Europea  has  been  applied  by  Pennant  to  our  large 
sitta  or  nuthatch,  which  is  certainly  a  different  species  from  the 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  Ixxi 

European,  the  latter  being  destitute  of  the  black  head,  neck  and 
shoulders  of  ours.  Latham  calls  it  carolinensis,  but  it  is  as  much 
an  inhabitant  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  York  as  Carolina.  The 
small  red-bellied  sitta  is  called  canadensis  by  Latham,  a  name 
equally  objectionable  with  the  other.  Turdus  minor  seems  also 
improper;  in  short  I  consider  this  part  of  the  business  as  pecu- 
liarly perplexing;  and  I  beg  to  have  your  opinion  on  the  matter, 
particularly  with  respect  to  the  birds  I  have  mentioned,  whether 
I  shall  hazard  a  new  nomenclature,  or,  by  copying,  sanction 
what  I  do  not  approve  of. 

"  I  hope  you  are  in  good  health,  enjoying  in  your  little  Para- 
dise the  advances  of  spring,  shedding  leaves,  buds  and  blossoms, 
around  her;  and  bringing  in  her  train  choirs  of  the  sweetest 
songsters  that  earth  can  boast  of;  while  every  zephyr  that  plays 
around  you  breathes  fragrance.  Ah !  how  different  my  situation 
in  this  delightful  season,  immured  among  musty  books,  and 
compelled  to  forego  the  harmony  of  the  woods  for  the  everlast- 
ing din  of  the  city;  the  very  face  of  the  blessed  heavens  involv- 
ed in  soot,  and  interrupted  by  walls  and  chimney  tops.  But  if 
I  don't  lanch  out  into  the  woods  and  fields  oftener  than  I  have 
done  these  twelvemonths,  may  I  be  transformed  into  a  street 
musician. "  (The  remainder  of  the  MS.  defaced. ) 

All  things  being  happily  arranged,  Wilson  applied  himself  to 
his  varied  and  extensive  duties  with  a  diligence  which  scarcely 
admitted  repose;  until  finding  his  health  much  impaired  there- 
by, he  was  induced  to  seek  the  benefits  of  relaxation,  in  a  pe- 
destrian journey  through  a  part  of  Pennsylvania;  which  afforded 
him  a  favourable  opportunity  of  procuring  specimens  of  birds; 
and  some  additional  information  relating  to  them,  of  which  he 
was  very  desirous  to  be  possessed.  This  excursion  was  made 
in  the  month  of  August,  1807;  and  on  his  return  he  engaged  in 
his  avocations  with  renewed  ardour;  devoting  every  moment, 
which  could  be  spared  from  his  editorial  duties,  to  his  great 
work. 

At  length  in  the  month  of  September,  1808,  the  first  volume 
of  the  "  AMERICAN  ORNITHOLOGY"  made  its  appearance.  From 


Ixxii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

the  date  of  the  arrangement  with  the  publisher,  a  prospectus 
had  been  issued,  wherein  the  nature  and  intended  execution  of 
the  work  were  specified;  but  yet  no  one  appeared  to  entertain 
an  adequate  idea  of  the  elegant  treat  which  was  about  to  be  af- 
forded to  the  lovers  of  the  arts,  and  of  useful  literature.  And 
when  the  volume  was  presented  to  the  public,  their  delight  was 
only  equalled  by  their  astonishment,  that  our  country,  as  yet  in 
its  infancy,  should  produce  an  original  work  in  science,  that 
could  vie,  in  its  essentials,  with  the  proudest  productions,  of  a 
similar  nature,  of  the  European  world. 

TO   MR.    WM.    BARTRAM. 

Philadelphia,  Sept.  21,  1808. 

"In  a  few  minutes  I  set  out  for  the  Eastern  States,  through 
Boston  to  Maine,  and  back  through  the  state  of  Vermont,  in 
search  of  birds  and  subscribers.  I  regret  that  I  have  not  been 
able  to  spend  an  evening  with  you  before  my  departure.  But 
I  shall  have  a  better  stock  of  adventures  to  relate  after  my  re- 
turn. 

f(  I  send  a  copy  of  the  prospectus,  and  my  best  wishes  for  the 
happiness  of  the  whole  family.  I  leave  my  horse  behind,  and 
go  by  the  stage  coach,  as  being  the  least  troublesome.  I  hope 
to  make  some  discoveries  in  my  tour,  the  least  agreeable  of 
which  will,  I  fear,  be — that  I  have  bestowed  a  great  deal  of  la- 
bour and  expense  to  little  purpose.  But  all  these  things  will  not 
prevent  me  from  enjoying,  as  I  pass  along,  the  glorious  face  of 
Nature,  and  her  admirable  productions,  while  I  have  eyes  to 
see,  and  taste  and  judgment  to  appreciate  them." 

After  despatching  the  above  note,  Wilson  set  out  on  a  jour- 
ney to  the  eastward,  to  exhibit  his  book,  and  procure  subscribers. 
He  travelled  as  far  as  the  District  of  Maine;  and  returned  through 
Vermont,  by  the  way  of  Albany,  to  Philadelphia.  From  a  letter 
to  a  friend,  dated  Boston,  October  10th,  1808,  we  have  made 
the  following  extract: 

"  I  have  purposely  avoided  saying  any  thing  either  good  or 
bad,  on  the  encouragement  I  have  met  with.  I  shall  only  say, 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  Jxxiii 

that  among  the  many  thousands  who  have  examined  my  book, 
and  among  these  were  men  of  the  first  character  for  taste  and 
literature,  I  have  heard  nothing  but  expressions  of  the  highest 
admiration  and  esteem.  If  I  have  been  mistaken  in  publishing 
a  work  too  good  for  the  country,  it  is  a  fault  not  likely  to  be 
soon  repeated,  and  will  pretty  severely  correct  itself.  But  what- 
ever may  be  the  result  of  these  matters,  I  shall  not  sit  down 
Avith  folded  hands,  whilst  any  thing  can  be  done  to  carry  my 
point:  since  God  helps  them  who  help  themselves.  I  am  fixing 
correspondents  in  every  corner  of  these  northern  regions,  like 
so  many  pickets  and  outposts,  so  that  scarcely  a  wren  or  tit 
shall  be  able  to  pass  along,  from  York  to  Canada,  but  I  shall  get 
intelligence  of  it." 

TO  MR.   D.    H.  MILLER. 

Boston,  October  12,  1808. 
"Dear  Sir, 

"  I  arrived  here  on  Sunday  last,  after  various  adventures,  the 
particulars  of  which,  as  well  as  the  observations  I  have  had  lei- 
sure to  make  upon  the  passing  scenery  around  me,  I  shall  en- 
deavour, as  far  as  possible,  to  compress  into  this  letter,  for  your 
own  satisfaction,  and  that  of  my  friends  who  may  be  interested 
for  my  welfare.  My  company  in  the  stage  coach  to  New  York 
were  all  unknown  to  me,  except  Col.  S.,  who  was  on  his  route 
to  Fort  Oswego,  on  Lake  Ontario,  to  take  command  of  the 
troops  intended  to  be  stationed  on  that  part  of  the  frontier,  to 
prevent  evasions  of  the  embargo  law.  The  sociable  disposition 
and  affability  of  the  Colonel  made  this  part  of  the  journey  pass 
very  agreeably,  for  both  being  fond  of  walking,  whenever  the 
driver  stopped  to  water,  or  drink  grog,  which  was  generally 
every  six  or  eight  miles,  we  set  out  on  foot,  and  sometimes  got 
on  several  miles  before  the  coach  overhauled  us.  By  this  method 
we  enjoyed  our  ride,  and  with  some  little  saving  of  horseflesh, 
which  I  know  you  will  approve  of.  At  Princeton  I  bade  my 
fellow  travellers  good  by,  as  I  had  to  wait  upon  the  reverend 

doctors  of  the  college.    I  took  my  book  under  my  arm,  put  se- 
VOL.  i. — K 


Ixxiv  UFE  OF  WILSON, 

veral  copies  of  the  prospectus  into  my  pocket,  and  walked  up 
to  this  spacious  sanctuary  of  literature.  I  could  amuse  you  with 
some  of  my  reflections  on  this  occasion,  but  room  will  not  per- 
mit Dr.  Smith,  the  president,  and  Dr.  M'Lean,  professor  of 
Natural  History,  were  the  only  two  I  found  at  home.  The  latter 
invited  me  to  tea,  and  both  were  much  pleased  and  surprised 
with  the  appearance  of  the  work.  I  expected  to  receive  some 
valuable  information  from  McLean,  on  the  ornithology  of  the 
country,  but  I  soon  found,  to  my  astonishment,  that  he  scarcely 
knew  a  sparrow  from  a  woodpecker.  At  his  particular  request, 
I  left  a  specimen  of  the  plates  with  him ;  and  from  what  passed 
between  us,  I  have  hopes  that  he  will  pay  more  attention  to  this 
department  of  his  profession  than  he  has  hitherto  done.  I  visit- 
ed several  other  literary  characters;  and,  at  about  half  past  eighty 
the  Pilot  coming  up,  I  took  my  passage  in  it  to  New  Brunswick,, 
which  we  reached  at  midnight,  and  where  I  immediately  went 
to  bed. 

"  The  next  morning  was  spent  in  visiting  the  few  gentlemen 
who  were  likely  to  patronize  my  undertaking.  I  had  another 
task  of  the  same  kind  at  Elizabethtown;  and,  without  tiring  you 
with  details  that  would  fill  a  volume,  I  shall  only  say  that  I 
reached  Newark  that  day,  having  gratified  the  curiosity,  and 
feasted  the  eyes,  of  a  great  number  of  people,  who  repaid  me 
with  the  most  extravagant  compliments,  which  I  would  have 
very  willingly  exchanged  for  a  few  simple  subscriptions.  I 
spent  nearly  the  whole  of  Saturday  in  Newark,  where  my 
book  attracted  as  many  starers  as  a  bear  or  a  mammoth  would 
have  done;  and  I  arrived  in  New  York  the  same  evening.  The 
next  day  I  wrote  a  number  of  letters,  enclosing  copies  of  the 
prospectus,  to  different  gentlemen  in  town.  In  the  afternoon 
of  Tuesday  I  took  my  book,  and  waited  on  each  of  those  gen- 
tlemen to  whom  I  had  written  the  preceding  day.  Among  these 
I  found  some  friends,  but  more  admirers.  The  professors  of 
Columbia  College  expressed  much  esteem  for  my  performance. 
The  professor  of  languages,  being  a  Scotchman,  and  also  a  Wil- 
son, seemed  to  feel  all  the  pride  of  national  partiality  so  common 


LIFE  OF  WILSON,  Ixxv 

to  his  countrymen;  and  would  have  done  me  any  favour  in  his 
power.  I  spent  the  whole  of  this  week  traversing  the  streets, 
from  one  particular  house  to  another,  till,  I  believe,  I  became 
almost  as  well  known  as  the  public  crier,  or  the  clerk  of  the 
market,  for  I  could  frequently  perceive  gentlemen  point  me  out 

to  others  as  I  passed  with  my  book  under  my  arm, 

#  *  *  * 

On  Sunday  morning,  October  2,  I  went  on  board  a  packet 
for  New  Haven,  distant  about  ninety  miles.  The  wind  was  fa- 
vourable, and  carried  us  rapidly  through  Hellgate,  (a  place  I 
had  no  intention  of  calling  at  in  my  tour)  on  the  other  side  of 
which  we  found  upwards  of  sixty  vessels  beating  up  for  a  pas- 
sage. The  Sound  here,  between  Long  Island  and  the  main,  is 
narrowed  to  less  than  half  a  mile,  and  filled  with  small  islands, 
and  enormous  rocks  under  water,  among  which  the  tide  roars 
and  boils  violently,  and  has  proved  fatal  to  many  a  seaman. 
At  high  water  it  is  nearly  as  smooth  as  any  other  place,  and 
can  then  be  safely  passed.  The  country,  on  the  New  York 
side,  is  ornamented  with  handsome  villas,  painted  white,  and 
surrounded  by  great  numbers  of  Lombardy  poplars.  The 
breeze  increasing  to  a  gale,  in  eight  hours  from  the  time  we  set 
sail  the  high  red-fronted  mountain  of  New  Haven  rose  to  our 
view.  In  two  hours  more  we  landed;  and,  by  the  stillness 
and  solemnity  of  the  streets,  recollected  we  were  in  New  En- 
gland, and  that  it  was  Sunday,  which  latter  circumstance  had 
been  almost  forgotten  on  board  the  packet-boat. 

"  This  town  is  situated  upon  a  sandy  plain;  and  the  streets 
are  shaded  with  elm  trees  and  poplars.  In  a  large  park  or 
common,  covered  with  grass,  and  crossed  by  two  streets,  and 
several  foot  paths,  stand  the  church,  the  state  house  and  col- 
lege buildings,  which  last  are  one  hundred  and  eighty  yards  in 
front  From  these  structures  rise  four  or  five  wooden  spires, 
which,  in  former  time,  as  one  of  the  professors  informed  me, 
were  so  infested  by  woodpeckers,  which  bored  them  in  all  di- 
rections, that,  to  preserve  their  steeples  from  destruction,  it 
became  necessary  to  set  people,  with  guns,  to  watch  and  shoot 


Ixxvi  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

these  invaders  of  the  sanctuary.  Just  about  the  town  the  pas- 
ture fields  and  corn  look  well,  but  a  few  miles  off,  the  country 
is  poor  and  ill  cultivated. 

"  The  literati  of  New  Haven  received  me  with  politeness 
and  respect;  and  after  making  my  usual  rounds,  which  occupi- 
ed a  day  and  a  half,  I  set  off  for  Middletown,  twenty-two 
miles  distant.  The  country  through  which  I  passed  was  gene- 
rally flat  and  sandy — in  some  places  whole  fields  were  entirely 
covered  with  sand,  not  a  blade  of  vegetation  to  be  seen,  like 
some  parts  of  New  Jersey.  Round  Middletown,  however, 
the  country  is  really  beautiful — the  soil  rich;  and  here  I  first 
saw  the  river  Connecticut,  stretching  along  the  east  side  of  the 
town,  which  consists  of  one  very  broad  street,  with  rows  of 
elms  on  each  side.  On  entering  I  found  the' street  filled  with 
troops,  it  being  muster  day;  and  I  counted  two  hundred  and 
fifty  horse,  and  six  hundred  foot,  all  in  uniform.  The  sides  of 
the  street  were  choaked  up  with  wagons,  carts  and  wheel-bar- 
rows, filled  with  bread,  roast  beef,  fowls,  cheese,  liquors,  bar- 
rels of  cider,  and  rum  bottles.  Some  were  singing  out,  "  Here's 
the  best  brandy  you  ever  put  into  your  head!"  others  in  do- 
zens shouting,  "  Here's  the  round  and  sound  gingerbread! 
most  capital  gingerbread!"  In  one  place  I  observed  a  row  of 
twenty  or  thirty  country  girls,  drawn  up  with  their  backs  to  a 
fence,  and  two  young  fellows  supplying  them  with  rolls  of 
bread  from  a  neighbouring  stall,  which  they  ate  with  a  hearty 
appetite,  keeping  nearly  as  good  time  with  their  grinders,  as 
the  militia  did  with  their  muskets.  In  another  place  the  crowd 
had  formed  a  ring,  within  which  they  danced  to  the  catgut 
scrapings  of  an  old  negro.  The  spectators  looked  on  with  as 
much  gravity  as  if  they  were  listening  to  a  sermon;  and  the 
dancers  laboured  with  such  seriousness,  that  it  seemed  more 
like  a  penance  imposed  on  the  poor  devils,  for  past  sins,  than 
mere  amusement. 

"  I  waited  on  a  Mr.  A.  of  this  town;  and  by  him  I  was  in- 
troduced to  several  others.  He  also  furnished  me  with  a  good 
deal  of  information  respecting  the  birds  of  New  England.  He 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  Ixxvii 

is  a  great  sportsman — a  man  of  fortune  and  education — and 
has  a  considerable  number  of  stuffed  birds,  some  of  which  he 
gave  me,  besides  letters  to  several  gentlemen  of  influence  in 
Boston.  I  endeavoured  to  recompense  him  in  the  best  man- 
ner I  could,  and  again  pursued  my  route  to  the  north-east 
The  country  between  this  and  Hartford  is  extremely  beautiful, 
much  resembling  that  between  Philadelphia  and  Frankford. 
The  road  is  a  hard  sandy  soil;  and  in  one  place  I  had  an  im- 
mense prospect  of  the  surrounding  country,  nearly  equal  to 
that  which  we  saw  returning  from  Easton,  but  less  covered 
with  woods.  On  reaching  Hartford,  I  waited  on  Mr.  Gk,  a 
member  of  congress,  who  recommended  me  to  several  others, 
particularly  a  Mr.  W.,  a  gentleman  of  taste  and  fortune,  who 
was  extremely  obliging.  The  publisher  of  a  newspaper  here 
expressed  the  highest  admiration  of  the  work,  and  has  since 
paid  many  handsome  compliments  to  it  in  his  publication,  as 
three  other  editors  did  in  New  York.  This  is  a  species  of  cur- 
rency that  will  neither  purchase  plates,  nor  pay  the  printer; 
but,  nevertheless,  it  is  gratifying  to  the  vanity  of  an  author — 
when  nothing  better  can  be  got.  My  journey  from  Hartford 
to  Boston,  through  Springfield,  Worcester,  &c.  one  hundred 
and  twenty-eight  miles,  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  detail  at  this 
time.  From  the  time  I  entered  Massachusetts,  until  within 
ten  miles  of  Boston,  which  distance  is  nearly  two-thirds  the 
length  of  the  whole  state,  I  took  notice  that  the  principal  fea- 
tures of  the  country  were  stony  mountains,  rocky  pasture 
fields,  and  hills  and  swamps  adorned  with  pines.  The  fences, 
in  every  direction,  are  composed  of  strong  stones;  and,  unless 
a  few  straggling,  self-planted,  stunted  apple  trees,  overgrown 
with  moss,  deserve  the  name,  there  is  hardly  an  orchard  to  be 
seen  in  ten  miles.  Every  six  or  eight  miles  you  come  to  a 
meeting-house,  painted  white,  with  a  spire.  I  could  perceive 
little  difference  in  the  form  or  elevation  of  their  steeples. 

"  The  people  here  make  no  distinction  between  town  and 
township;  and  travellers  frequently  asked  the  driver  of  the 
stagecoach,  «  What  town  are  we  now  in?"  when  perhaps  we 


Ixxviii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

were  upon  the  top  of  a  miserable  barren  mountain,  several 
miles  from  a  house.  It  is  in  vain  to  reason  with  the  people 
on  the  impropriety  of  this — custom  makes  every  absurdity 
proper.  There  is  scarcely  any  currency  in  this  country  but 
paper,  and  I  solemnly  declare  that  I  do  not  recollect  having 
seen  one  hard  dollar  since  I  left  New  York.  Bills  even  of 
twenty-five-cents,  of  a  hundred  different  banks,  whose  very 
names  one  has  never  heard  of  before,  are  continually  in  circu- 
lation. I  say  nothing  of  the  jargon  which  prevails  in  the 
country.  Their  boasted  schools,  if  I  may  judge  by  the  state  of 
their  school-houses,  are  no  better  than  our  own. 

"  Lawyers  swarm  in  every  town,  like  locusts;  almost  every 
door  has  the  word  Office  painted  over  it,  which,  like  the  web 
of  a  spider,  points  out  the  place  where  the  spoiler  lurks  for  his 
prey.  There  is  little  or  no  improvement  in  agriculture;  in 
fifty  miles  I  did  not  observe  a  single  grain  or  stubble  field, 
though  the  country  has  been  cleared  and  settled  these  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years.  In  short,  the  steady  habits  of  a  great 
portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  those  parts  of  New  England 
through  which  I  passed,  seem  to  be  laziness,  law  bickerings 
and  *  *  *  *.  A  man  here  is  as  much  ashamed  of  being  seen 
walking  the  streets  on  Sunday,  unless  in  going  and  returning 

from  church,  as  many  would  be  of  being  seen  going  to  a  *  *  * 

*  #  # 

"  As  you  approach  Boston  the  country  improves  in  its  ap- 
pearance; the  stone  fences  give  place  to  those  of  posts  and  rails; 
the  road  becomes  wide  and  spacious;  and  every  thing  an- 
nounces a  better  degree  of  refinement  and  civilization.  It  was 
dark  when  I  entered  Boston,  of  which  I  shall  give  you  some 
account  in  my  next.  I  have  visited  the  celebrated  Bunker's 
Hill,  and  no  devout  pilgrim  ever  approached  the  sacred  tomb 
of  his  holy  prophet  with  more  awful  enthusiasm,  and  profound 
veneration,  than  I  felt  in  tracing  the  grass-grown  intrench- 
ments  of  this  hallowed  spot,  made  immortal  by  the  bravery  of 
those  heroes  who  defended  it,  whose  ashes  are  now  mingled 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  Ixxix 

with  its  soil,  and  of  whom  a  mean,  beggarly  pillar 'of  bricks 
is  all  the  memento." 

TO  MR.  D.   H.  MILLER. 

Windsor,  Vermont,  October  26,  1808. 
"Dear  Sir, 

"  I  wrote  you  two  or  three  weeks  ago  from  Boston,  where  I 
spent  about  a  week.  A  Mr.  S.,  formerly  private  secretary  to 
John  Adams,  introduced  me  to  many  of  the  first  rank  in  the 
place,  whose  influence  procured  me  an  acquaintance  with  others; 
and  I  journied  through  the  streets  of  Boston  with  my  book,  as 
I  did  at  New  York  and  other  places,  visiting  all  the  literary 
characters  I  could  find  access  to. 

"  I  spent  one  morning  examining  Bunker's  Hill,  accompa- 
nied by  lieutenant  Miller  and  sergeant  Carter,  two  old  soldiers 
of  the  revolution,  who  were  both  in  that  celebrated  battle,  and 
who  pointed  out  to  me  a  great  number  of  interesting  places. 
The  brother  of  general  Warren,  who  is  a  respectable  physician 
of  Boston,  became  very  much  my  friend,  and  related  to  me 
many  other  matters  respecting  the  engagement. 

"  I  visited  the  University  at  Cambridge,  where  there  is  a  fine 
library,  but  the  most  tumultuous  set  of  students  I  ever  saw. 

"  From  the  top  of  Bunker's  Hill,  Boston,  Charlestown,  the 
ocean,  islands  and  adjacent  country,  form  the  most  beautifully 
varied  prospect  I  ever  beheld. 

"  The  streets  of  Boston  are  a  perfect  labyrinth.  The  markets 
are  dirty;  the  fish  market  is  so  filthy  that  I  will  not  disgust  you 
by  a  description  of  it.  Wherever  you  walk  you  hear  the  most 
hideous  howling,  as  if  some  miserable  wretch  were  expiring  on 
the  wheel  at  every  corner;  this,  however,  is  nothing  but  the 
draymen  shouting  to  their  horses.  Their  drays  are  twenty-eight 
feet  long,  drawn  by  two  horses,  and  carry  ten  barrels  of  flour. 
From  Boston  I  set  out  for  Salem,  the  country  between  swampy, 
and  in  some  places  the  most  barren,  rocky,  and  desolate  in  na- 
ture. Salem  is  a  neat  little  town.  The  wharves  were  crowded 
with  vessels.  One  wharf  here  is  twenty  hundred  and  twenty- 


1XXX  LIFE  OF  AVILSON. 

two  feet  long.     I  staid  here  two  days,  and  again  set  off  for 

Newburyport,  through  a  rocky,  uncultivated,  steril  country. 

*  *  *  * 

"  I  travelled  on  through  New  Hampshire,  stopping  at  every 
place  where  I  was  likely  to  do  any  business;  and  went  as  far 
east  as  Portland  in  Maine,  where  I  staid  three  days,  and,  the 
supreme  court  being  then  sitting,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  see- 
ing and  conversing  with  people  from  the  remotest  boundaries 
of  the  United  States  in  this  quarter,  and  received  much  inter- 
esting information  from  them  with  regard  to  the  birds  that  fre- 
quent these  northern  regions.  From  Portland  I  directed  my 
course  across  the  country,  among  dreary  savage  glens,  and 
mountains  covered  with  pines  and  hemlocks,  amid  whose  black 
and  half-burnt  trunks  the  everlasting  rocks  and  stones,  that  co- 
ver this  country,  "  grinned  horribly."  One  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  miles  brought  me  to  Dartmouth  College,  Newhampshire, 
on  the  Vermont  line.  Here  I  paid  my  addresses  to  the  reve- 
rend fathers  of  literature,  and  met  with  a  kind  and  obliging 
reception.  Dr.  Wheelock,  the  president,  made  me  eat  at  his 
table,  and  the  professors  vied  with  each  other  to  oblige  me. 

"  I  expect  to  be  in  Albany  in  five  days,  and  if  the  legislature 
be  sitting,  I  shall  be  detained  perhaps  three  days  there.  In 
eight  days  more  I  hope  to  be  in  Philadelphia.  I  have  laboured 
with  the  zeal  of  a  knight  errant  in  exhibiting  this  book  of  mine, 
wherever  I  went,  travelling  with  it,  like  a  beggar  with  his 
bantling,  from  town  to  town,  and  from  one  country  to  another. 
I  have  been  loaded  with  praises — with  compliments  and  kind- 
nesses— shaken  almost  to  pieces  in  stage  coaches;  have  wan- 
dered among  strangers,  hearing  the  same  O's  and  *fth's,  and 
telling  the  same  story  a  thousand  times  over — and  for  what? 
Ay,  that's  it!  You  are  very  anxious  to  know,  and  you  shall 
know  the  whole  when  I  reach  Philadelphia." 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  Ixxxi 

TO  MR.   ALEXANDER  LAWSON. 

Albany ',  November  3,  1808. 
«  Dear  Sir, 

"  Having  a  few  leisure  moments  at  disposal,  I  will  devote 
them  to  your  service  in  giving  you  a  sketch  of  some  circum- 
stances in  my  long  literary  pilgrimage,  not  mentioned  in  my 
letters  to  Mr.  Miller.  And  in  the  first  place,  I  ought  to  thank 
you  for  the  thousands  of  compliments  I  have  received  for  my 
birds,  from  persons  of  all  descriptions;  which  were  chiefly  due 
to  the  taste  and  skill  of  the  engraver.  In  short,  the  book,  in 
all  its  parts,  so  far  exceeds  the  ideas  and  expectations  of  the 
first  literary  characters  in  the  eastern  section  of  the  United 
States,  as  to  command  their  admiration  and  respect.  The  only 
objection  has  been  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars, 
which,  in  innumerable  instances,  has  risen  like  an  evil  genius 
between  me  and  my  hopes.  Yet  I  doubt  not  but  when  those 
copies  subscribed  for  are  delivered,  and  the  book  a  little  better 
known,  the  whole  number  will  be  disposed  of,  and  perhaps  en- 
couragement given  to  go  on  with  the  rest.  To  effect  this,  to 
me,  most  desirable  object,  I  have  encountered  the  fatigues  of  a 
long,  circuitous,  and  expensive  journey,  with  a  zeal  that  has  in- 
creased with  increasing  difficulties;  and  sorry  I  am  to  say  that 
the  whole  number  of  subscribers  which  I  have  obtained  amounts 
only  to  forty-one. 

"  While  in  New  York  I  had  the  curiosity  to  call  on  the  ce- 
lebrated author  of  the  "Rights  of  Man."  He  lives  in  Green- 
wich, a  short  way  from  the  city.  In  the  only  decent  apartment 
of  a  small  indifferent-looking  frame  house,  I  found  this  extra- 
ordinary man,  sitting  wrapt  in  a  night  gown,  the  table  before 
him  covered  with  newspapers,  with  pen  and  ink  beside  him. 
Paine's  face  would  have  excellently  suited  the  character  of  Bar- 
dolph;  but  the  penetration  and  intelligence  of  his  eye  bespeak 
the  man  of  genius,  and  of  the  world.  Pie  complained  to  me  of 
his  inability  to  walk,  an  exercise  he  was  formerly  fond  of; — he 
examined  my  book,  leaf  by  leaf,  with  great  attention — desired 

VOL  i. — L 


Ixxxii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

me  to  put  down  his  name  as  a  subscriber;  and,  after  inquiring 
particularly  for  Mr.  P.  and  Mr.  B.,  wished  to  be  remembered 
to  both. 

"My  journey  through  almost  the  whole  of  New  England 
has  rather  lowered  the  Yankees  in  my  esteem.  Except  a  few 
neat  academies,  I  found  their  schoolhouses  equally  ruinous  and 
deserted  with  ours — fields  covered  with  stones — stone  fences- — 
scrubby  oaks  and  pine  trees — wretched  orchards — scarcely  one 
grain  field  in  twenty  miles — the  taverns  along  the  road  dirty, 
and  filled  with  loungers,  brawling  about  law  suits  and  politics — 
the  people  snappish,  and  extortioners,  lazy,  and  two  hundred 
years  behind  the  Pennsylvanians  in  agricultural  improvements. 
I  traversed  the  country  bordering  the  river  Connecticut  for 
nearly  two  hundred  miles.  Mountains  rose  on  either  side,  some- 
times three,  six,  or  eight  miles  apart,  the  space  between  almost 
altogether  alluvial;  the  plains  fertile,  but  not  half  cultivated. 
From  some  projecting  headlands  I  had  immense  prospects  of 
the  surrounding  countries,  every  where  clothed  in  pine,  hem- 
lock, and  scrubby  oak. 

"It  was  late  in  the  evening  when  I  entered  Boston,  and, 
whirling  through  the  narrow,  lighted  streets,  or  rather  lanes,  I 
could  form  but  a  very  imperfect  idea  of  the  town.     Early  the 
next  morning,  resolved  to  see  where  I  was,  I  sought  out  the 
way  to  Beacon  Hill,  the  highest  part  of  the  town,  and  whence 
you  look  down  on  the  roofs  of  the  houses — the  bay  interspersed 
with  islands — the  ocean — the  surrounding  country,  and  distant 
mountains  of  New  Hampshire;  but  the  most  singular  objects 
are  the  long  wooden  bridges,  of  which  there  are  five  or  six, 
some  of  them  three  quarters  of  a  mile  long,  uniting  the  towns 
of  Boston  and  Charlestown  with  each  other,  and  with  the  main 
land.     I  looked  round  with  an  eager  eye  for  that  eminence  so 
justly  celebrated  in  the  history  of  the  revolution  of  the  United 
States,  BUNKER'S  HILL,  but  I  could  see  nothing  that  I  could 
think  deserving  of  the  name,  till  a  gentleman,  who  stood  by, 
pointed  out  a  white  monument  upon  a  height  beyond  Charles- 
town,  which  he  said  was  the  place.  I  explored  my  way  thither 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  Ixxxiii 

without  paying  much  attention  to  other  passing  objects;  and,  in 
tracing  the  streets  of  Charlestown,  was  astonished  and  hurt  at 
the  indifference  with  which  the  inhabitants  directed  me  to  the 
place.*  I  inquired  if  there  were  any  person  still  living  here 
who  had  been  in  the  battle,  and  I  was  directed  to  a  Mr.  Miller, 
who  was  a  lieutenant  in  this  memorable  affair.  He  is  a  man  of 
about  sixty — stout,  remarkably  fresh  coloured,  with  a  benign 
and  manly  countenance.  I  introduced  myself  without  ceremo- 
ny— shook  his  hand  with  sincere  cordiality,  and  said,  with  some 
warmth,  that  I  was  proud  of  the  honour  of  meeting  with  one 
of  the  heroes  of  Bunker's  Hill — the  first  unconquerable  cham- 
pions of  their  country.  He  looked  at  me,  pressed  my  hand  in 
his,  and  the  tears  instantly  glistened  in  his  eyes,  which  as  in- 
stantly called  up  corresponding  ones  in  my  own.  In  our  way 
to  the  place  he  called  on  a  Mr.  Carter,  who  he  said  was  also  in 
the  action,  and  might  recollect  some  circumstances  which  he 
had  forgotten.  With  these  two  veterans  I  spent  three  hours, 
the  most  interesting  to  me  of  any  of  my  life.  As  they  pointed 

*  We  have  here  a  trait  of  character  worthy  of  note.  Wilson's  enthusi- 
asm did  not  permit  him  to  reflect,  that  an  object  which  presents  uncommon 
attractions  to  one  who  beholds  it  for  the  first  time,  can  have  no  such  effect 
upon  the  minds  of  the  multitude,  accustomed  to  view  it  from  their  infancy; 
and  in  whose  breasts  those  chaste  and  exquisite  feelings  which  result  from 
taste,  refined  by  culture,  can  have  no  place. 

But  what  Wilson  felt  upon  this  occasion,  was  that  which  almost  all  men  of 
genius  and  sensibility  experience  when  similarly  situated — that  divine  enthu- 
siasm, which,  exalts  one,  as  it  were,  above  mortality,  and  which  commands 
our  respect  in  proportion  as  the  subject  of  it  is  estimable  or  great. 

Who  has  not  read,  or  having  read,  who  can  forget,  that  admirable  passage 
in  Johnson's  Journey  to  the  Hebrides,  wherein  the  illustrious  traveller  re- 
lates his  reflections  on  his  landing  upon  the  island  of  Icolmkill!  "  Far  from 
me,  and  from  my  friends,"  says  he,  "  be  such  frigid  philosophy  as  may  con- 
duct us  indifferent  and  unmoved  over  any  ground  which  has  been  dignified 
by  wisdom,  bravery,  or  virtue."  That  this  frigid  philosophy  was  a  stranger 
to  the  soul  of  Wilson,  we  have  his  own  declaration  in  evidence;  and  so  little 
skilled  was  he  in  the  art  of  concealing  his  emotions,  that,  on  any  occasion 
which  awakened  his  sensibility,  he  would  exhibit  the  impulse  of  simple  na- 
ture by  weeping  like  a  child. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

out  to  me  the  route  of  the  British — the  American  intrench- 
ments — the  place  where  the  greatest  slaughter  was  made — the 
spot  where  Warren  fell,  and  where  he  was  thrown  amid  heaps 
of  the  dead,  I  felt  as  though  I  could  have  encountered  a  whole 
battalion  myself  in  the  same  glorious  cause.  The  old  soldiers 
were  highly  delighted  with  my  enthusiasm;  we  drank  a  glass 
of  wine  to  the  memory  of  the  illustrious  dead,  and  parted  al- 
most with  regret. 

"From  Boston  to  Portland,-  in  the  District  of  Maine,  you 
are  almost  always  in  the  neighbourhood,  or  within  sight,  of  the 
Atlantic.  The  country  may  be  called  a  mere  skeleton  of  rocks, 
and  fields  of  sand,  in  many  places  entirely  destitute  of  wood, 
except  a  few  low  scrubby  junipers,  in  others  covered  with  pines 
of  a  diminutive  growth.  On  entering  the  tavern  in  Portland, 
I  took  up  the  newspaper  of  the  day,  in  which  I  found  my  song 
of  Freedom  and  Peace,*  which  I  afterwards  heard  read  before 
a  numerous  company,  (for  the  supreme  court  was  sitting,)  with 
great  emphasis,  as  a  most  excellent  song;  but  I  said  nothing  on 
the  subject. 

"  From  Portland  I  steered  across  the  country  for  the  northern 
parts  of  Vermont,  among  barren,  savage,  pine-covered  moun- 
tains, through  regions  where  nature  and  art  have  done  infinitely 
less  to  make  it  a  fit  residence  for  man  than  any  country  I  ever 
traversed.  Among  these  dreary  tracts  I  found  winter  had  al- 
ready commenced,  and  the  snow  several  inches  deep.  I  called 
at  Dartmouth  College,  the  president  of  which,  as  well  as  of  all 
I  visited  in  New  England,  subscribed.  Though  sick  with  a  se- 
vere cold,  and  great  fatigue,  I  continued  my  route  to  this  place, 
passing  and  calling  at  great  numbers  of  small  towns  in  my  way. 
"The  legislature  is  at  present  in  session — the  newspapers 
have  to-day  taken  notice  of  my  book,  and  inserted  my  advertise- 
ment— I  shall  call  on  the  principal  people — employ  an  agent 

*  A  certain  military  association  of  Philadelphia,  being  disposed  to  dignify 
the  national  celebration  of  this  year,  offered  a  gold  medal  for  the  best  song 
which  should  be  written  for  the  occasion;  and  Wilson  bore  away  the  prize 
from  many  competitors. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  1XXXV 

among  some  of  the  booksellers  in  Albany,  and  return  home  by 
New  York." 

Wilson  after  tarrying  at  home  a  few  days,  departed  to  the 
southward,  visiting  every  city  and  town  of  importance  as  far 
as  Savannah  in  the  state  of  Georgia.  This  journey  being  per- 
formed in  the  winter,  and  alone,  was  of  course  not  attended 
with  many  travelling  comforts;  and  to  avoid  the  inconve- 
niences of  a  return  by  land,  he  embarked  in  a  vessel,  and  ar- 
rived at  New- York  in  the  month  of  March,  1809.  This  was 
rather  an  unproductive  tour;  but  few  subscriptions  being  ob- 
tained. 

TO  MR.   D.   H.   MILLER. 

Washington  City,  December  24,  1808. 
"Dear  Sir, 

"  I  sit  down,  before  leaving  this  place,  to  give  you  a  few 
particulars  of  my  expedition.  I  spent  nearly  a  week  in  Balti- 
more, with  tolerable  success,  having  procured  sixteen  subscri- 
bers there.  In  Annapolis  I  passed  my  book  through  both 
houses  of  the  legislature:  the  wise  men  of  Maryland  stared  and 
gaped,  from  bench  to  bench;  but  having  never  heard  of  such  a 
thing  as  one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars  for  a  book,  the  ayes 
for  subscribing  were  none;  and  so  it  was  unanimously  deter- 
mined in  the  negative.  Nowise  discouraged  by  this  shge  de- 
cision, I  pursued  my  route  through  the  tobacco  fields,  sloughs 
and  swamps,  of  this  illiterate  corner  of  the  state,  to  Washing- 
ton, distant  thirty-eight  miles;  and  in  my  way  opened  fifty- 
five  gates.  I  was  forewarned  that  I  should  meet  with  many 
of  these  embarrassments,  and  I  opened  twenty-two  of  them 
with  all  the  patience  and  philosophy  I  could  muster;  but  when 
I  still  found  then  coming  thicker  and  faster,  my  patience  and 
philosophy  both  abandoned  me,  and  I  saluted  every  new  gate 
(which  obliged  me  to  plunge  into  the  mud  to  open  it)  with 
perhaps  less  Christian  resignation  than  I  ought  to  have  done. 
The  negroes  there  are  very  numerous,  and  most  wretchedly 
clad :  their  whole  covering,  in  many  instances,  assumes  the  ap- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

pearance  of  neither  coat,  waistcoat,  nor  breeches,  but  a  motley 
mass  of  coarse,  dirty  woolen  Tags,  of  various  colours,  gathered 
up  about  them.  When  I  stopped  at  some  of  the  negro  huts  to 
inquire  the  road,  both  men  and  women  huddled  up  their  filthy 
bundles  of  rags  around  them,  with  both  arms,  in  order  to  co- 
ver their  nakedness,  and  came  out,  very  civilly,  to  show  me 
the  way. 

61 1  cannot  pretend,  within  the  bounds  of  a  letter,  to  give 
you  a  complete  description  of  Washington.  It  consists  of  a 
great  extent  of  confined  commons,  one-half  of  which  is  nearly 
level,  and  little  higher  than  the  Potomac;  the  other  parts,  on 
which  the  Capitol  and  President's  house  are  built,  are  high  and 
commanding.  The  site  is  much  better  than  I  expected  to  find 
it;  and  is  certainly  a  noble  place  for  a  great  metropolis.  I  saw 
one  brick  house  building,  which  is  the  only  improvement,  of 
that  kind,  going  on  at  present.  The  taverns  and  boarding 
houses  here  are  crowded  with  an  odd  assemblage  of  characters. 
Fat  placemen,  expectants,  contractors,  petitioners,  office-hun- 
ters, lumber-dealers,  salt-manufacturers,  and  numerous  other 
adventurers.  Among  the  rest  are  deputations  from  different 
Indian  nations,  along  our  distant  frontiers,  who  are  come  hither 
to  receive  their  last  alms  from  the  President,  previous  to  his 
retirement. 

"  The  President  received  me  very  kindly.  1  asked  for  no- 
body to  introduce  me,  but  merely  sent  him  in  a  line  that  I  was 
there;  when  he  ordered  me  to  be  immediately  admitted.  He 
has  given  me  a  letter  to  a  gentleman  in  Virginia,  who  is  to  in- 
troduce me  to  a  person  there,  who,  Mr.  Jefferson  says,  has 
spent  his  whole  life  in  studying  the  manners  of  our  birds;  and 
from  whom  I  am  to  receive  a  world  of  facts  and  observations. 
The  President  intended  to  send  for  this  person  himself;  and  to 
take  down,  from  his  mouth,  what  he  knows  on  the  subject; 
thinking  it  a  pity,  as  he  says,  that  the  knowledge  he  possesses 
should  die  with  him.  But  he  has  entrusted  the  business  to 
me;  and  I  have  promised  him  an  account  of  our  interview. 

"  All  the  subscribers  I  have  gleaned  here  amount  to  seven- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  Ixxxvii 

teen.  I  shall  set  off,  on  finishing  this  letter,  to  Georgetown 
and  Alexandria.  I  will  write  you,  or  some  of  my  friends,  from 
Richmond." 

TO  MR.  D.   H.   MILLER. 

Charleston,  February  22,  1809. 
"Dear  Sir, 

66 1  have  passed  through  a  considerable  extent  of  country 
since  I  wrote  you  last;  and  met  with  a  variety  of  adventures, 
some  of  which  may  perhaps  amuse  you.  Norfolk  turned  out 
better  than  I  expected.  I  left  that  place  on  one  of  the  coldest 

mornings  I  have  experienced  since  leaving  Philadelphia. 

*  *  #  * 

"  I  mentioned  to  you  in  my  last  that  the  streets  of  Norfolk 
were  in  a  most  disgraceful  state;  but  I  was  informed  that  some 
time  before,  they  had  been  much  worse;  that  at  one  time  the 
news-carrier  delivered  his  papers  from  a  boat;  which  he  poled 
along  through  the  mire ;  and  that  a  party  of  sailors,  having  no- 
thing better  to  do,  actually  lanched  a  ship's  long-boat  into  the 
streets,  rowing  along  with  four  oars  through  the  mud,  while 
one  stood  at  the  bow,  heaving  the  lead,  and  singing  out  the 
depth. 

"  I  passed  through  a  flat,  pine  covered  country,  from  Nor- 
folk to  Suffolk,  twenty-four  miles  distant;  and  lodged,  in  the 
way,  in  the  house  of  a  planter,  who  informed  me  that  every 
year,  in  August  and  September,  almost  all  his  family  are  laid 
up  with  the  bilious  fever;  that  at  one  time  forty  of  his  people 
were  sick;  and  that  of  thirteen  children,  only  three  were  living. 
Two  of  these,  with  their  mother,  appeared  likely  not  to  be  long 
tenants  of  this  world.  Thirty  miles  farther,  I  came  to  a  small 
place  on  the  river  Nottaway,  called  Jerusalem.  Here  I  found 
the  river  swelled  to  such  an  extraordinary  height,  that  the  old- 
est inhabitant  had  never  seen  the  like.  After  passing  along  the 
bridge,  I  was  conveyed,  in  a  boat  termed  a  flat,  a  mile  and 
three-quarters  through  the  woods,  where  the  torrent  sweeping 
along  in  many  places  rendered  this  sort  of  navigation  rather 


Ixxxviii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

disagreeable.  I  proceeded  on  my  journey,  passing  through  so- 
litary pine  woods,  perpetually  interrupted  by  swamps,  that  co- 
vered the  road  with  water  two  and  three  feet  deep,  frequently 
half  a  mile  at  a  time,  looking  like  a  long  river  or  pond.  These 
in  the  afternoon  were  surmountable;  but  the  weather  being  ex- 
ceedingly severe,  they  were  covered  every  morning  with  a 
sheet  of  ice,  from  half  an  inch  to  an  inch  thick,  that  cut  my 
horse's  legs  and  breast.  After  passing  a  bridge,  I  had  many 
times  to  wade,  and  twice  to  swim  my.  horse,  to  get  to  the  shore. 
I  attempted  to  cross  the  Roanoke  at  three  different  ferries,  thir- 
ty-five miles  apart,  and  at  last  succeeded  at  a  place  about  fifteen 
miles  below  Halifax.  A  violent  snow  storm  made  the  roads  still 
more  execrable. 

"  The  productions  of  these  parts  of  North  Carolina  are  hogs, 
turpentine,  tar,  and  apple  brandy.  A  tumbler  of  toddy  is  usual- 
ly the  morning's  beverage  of  the  inhabitants,  as  soon  as  they 
get  out  of  bed.  So  universal  is  the  practice,  that  the  first  thing 
you  find  them  engaged  in,  after  rising,  is  preparing  the  brandy 
toddy.  You  can  scarcely  meet  a  man  whose  lips  are  not  parch- 
ed and  chopped  or  blistered  with  drinking  this  poison.  Those 
who  do  not  drink  it,  they  say,  are  sure  of  the  ague.  I,  how- 
ever, escaped.  The  pine  woods  have  a  singular  appearance, 
every  tree  being  stripped,  on  one  or  more  sides,  of  the  bark,  for 
six  or  seven  feet  up.  The  turpentine  covers  these  parts  in  thick 
masses.  I  saw  the  people,  in  different  parts  of  the  woods, 
mounted  on  benches,  chopping  down  the  sides  of  the  trees; 
leaving  a  trough  or  box  in  the  tree  for  the  turpentine  to  run 
into.  Of  hogs  they  have  immense  multitudes;  one  person  will 
sometimes  own  five  hundred.  The  leaders  have  bells  round 
their  necks;  and  every  drove  knows  its  particular  call,  whether 
it  be  a  conch-shell,  or  the  bawling  of  a  negro,  though  half  a 
mile  off.  Their  owners  will  sometimes  drive  them  for  four  or 
five  days  to  a  market,  without  once  feeding  them. 

61  The  taverns  are  the  most  desolate  and  beggarly  imaginable: 
bare,  bleak,  and  dirty  walls; — one  or  two  old  broken  chairs, 
and  a  bench,  form  all  the  furniture.  The  white  females  seldom 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  Ixxxix 

make  their  appearance;  and  every  thing  must  be  transacted 
through  the  medium  of  negroes.  At  supper,  you  sit  down  to  a 
meal,  the  very  sight  of  which  is  sufficient  to  deaden  the  most 
eager  appetite;  and  you  are  surrounded  by  half  a  dozen  dirty, 
half-naked  blacks,  male  and  female,  whom  any  man  of  common 
scent  might  smell  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off.  The  house  itself  is 
raised  upon  props,  four  or  five  feet;  and  the  space  below  is  left 
open  for  the  hogs,  with  whose  charming  vocal  performance  the 
wearied  traveller  is  serenaded  the  whole  night  long,  till  he  is 
forced  to  curse  the  hogs,  the  house,  and  every  thing  about  it. 

"  I  crossed  the  river  Taw  at  Washington,  for  Newbern,  which 
stands  upon  a  sandy  plain,  between  the  rivers  Trent  and  Neuse, 
both  of  which  abound  with  alligators.  Here  I  found  the  shad 
fishery  begun,  on  the  5th  instant;  and  wished  to  have  some  of 
you  with  me  to  assist  in  dissecting  some  of  the  finest  shad  I  ever 
saw.  Thence  to  Wilmington  was  my  next  stage,  one  hundred 
miles,  with  only  one  house  for  the  accommodation  of  travellers 
on  the  road;  two  landlords  having  been  broken  up  with  the  fever. 

"  The  general  features  of  North  Carolina,  where  I  crossed  it, 
are  immense,  solitary,  pine  savannas,  through  which  the  road 
winds  among  stagnant  ponds,  swarming  with  alligators;  dark, 
sluggish  creeks,  of  the  colour  of  brandy,  over  which  are  thrown 
high  wooden  bridges,  without  railings,  and  so  crazy  and  rotten 
as  not  only  to  alarm  one's  horse,  but  also  the  rider,  and  to  make 
it  a  matter  of  thanksgiving  with  both  when  they  get  fairly  over, 
without  going  through;  enormous  cypress  swamps,  which,  to 
a  stranger,  have  a  striking,  desolate,  and  ruinous  appearance. 
Picture  to  yourself  a  forest  of  prodigious  trees,  rising,  as  thick 
as  they  can  grow,  from  a  vast  flat  and  impenetrable  morass,  co- 
vered for  ten  feet  from  the  ground  with  reeds.  The  leafless 
limbs  of  the  cypresses  are  clothed  with  an  extraordinary  kind 
of  moss,  ( Tillandsia  usneoides,)  from  two  to  ten  feet  long,  in 
such  quantities,  that  fifty  men  might  conceal  themselves  in  one 
tree.  Nothing  in  this  country  struck  me  with  such  surprise  as 
the  prospect  of  several  thousand  acres  of  such  timber,  loaded, 
as  it  were,  with  many  million  tons  of  tow,  waving  in  the  wind. 

VOL.  -i. — M 


XC  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

I  attempted  to  penetrate  several  of  these  swamps,  with  my  gun, 
in  search  of  something  new;  but,  except  in  some  chance  places,  I 
found  it  altogether  impracticable.  I  coasted  along  their  borders, 
however,  in  many  places,  and  was  surprised  at  the  great  pro- 
fusion of  evergreens,  of  numberless  sorts;  and  a  variety  of  ber- 
ries that  I  knew  nothing  of.  Here  I  found  multitudes  of  birds 
that  never  winter  with  us  in  Pennsylvania,  living  in  abundance. 
Though  the  people  told  me  that  the  alligators  are  so  numerous 
as  to  destroy  many  of  their  pigs,  calves,  dogs,  &c. ,  yet  I  have 
never  been  enabled  to  get  my  eye  on  one,  though  I  have  been 
several  times  in  search  of  them  with  my  gun.  In  Georgia,  they 
tell  me,  they  are  ten  times  more  numerous;  and  I  expect  some 
sport  among  them.  I  saw  a  dog  at  the  river  Santee,  who  swims 
across  when  he  pleases,  in  defiance  of  these  voracious  animals; 
when  he  hears  them  behind  him,  he  wheels  round,  and  attacks 
them,  often  seizing  them  by  the  snout.  They  generally  retreat, 
and  he  pursues  his  route  again,  serving  every  one  that  attacks 
him  in  the  same  manner.*  He  belongs  to  the  boatman;  and, 
when  left  behind,  always  takes  to  the  water. 

"  As  to  the  character  of  the  North  Carolinians,  were  I  to 
judge  of  it  by  the  specimens  which  I  met  with  in  taverns,  I 
should  pronounce  them  to  be  the  most  ignorant,  debased,  in- 
dolent and  dissipated,  portion  of  the  union.  But  I  became  ac- 
quainted with  a  few  such  noble  exceptions,  that,  for  their 

*  This  is  an  uncommon  instance  of  intrepidity  in  the  canine  race,  and  is 
worthy  of  record.  It  is  well-known  that  the  alh'gutor  is  fond  of  dog-flesh;  and 
the  dog  appears  to  be  instructed  by  instinct  to  avoid  so  dangerous  an  enemy, 
it  being  difficult  to  induce  him  to  approach  the  haunts  of  the  alligator,  even 
when  encouraged  by  the  example  of  his  master.  A  fine  stout  spaniel  accom- 
panied me  to  East  Florida.  Being  one  day  engaged  in  wading  through  a  pond, 
in  pursuit  of  ducks,  with  my  dog  swimming  behind  me,  apparently  delighted 
with  his  employment,  he  smelt  an  alligator:  he  immediately  made  to  the  shore, 
fled  into  the  forest,  and  all  my  endeavours  to  prevail  with  him  to  return  were 
ineffectual.  Ever  after,  when  we  approached  that  pond,  he  exhibited  such 
evidences  of  apprehension,  that  I  was  fain  to  retire  with  him,  lest  his  terror 
should  again  induce  him  to  flee,  where  he  would  have,  probably,  been  lost. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xci 

sakes,  I  am  willing  to  believe  they  are  all  better  than  they 
seemed  to  be. 

"  Wilmington  contains  about  three  thousand  souls;  and  yet 
there  is  not  one  cultivated  field  within  several  miles  of  it.  The 
whole  country,  on  this  side  of  the  river,  is  a  mass  of  sand,  into 
which  you  sink  up  to  the  ankles;  and  hardly  a  blade  of  grass  is 
to  be  seen.  All  about  is  pine  barrens.  *  *  * 

"  From  Wilmington  I  rode  through  solitary  pine  savannas, 
and  cypress  swamps,  as  before;  sometimes  thirty  miles  without 
seeing  a  hut,  or  human  being.     On  arriving  at  the  Wackamaw, 
Pedee,  and  Black  river,  I  made  long  zigzags  among  the  rich 
nabobs,  who  live  on  their  rice  plantations,  amidst  large  villages 
of  negro  huts.     One  of  these  gentlemen  told  me  that  he  had 
"  something    better   than  six   hundred  head  of  blacks!" 
These  excursions  detained  me  greatly.     The  roads  to  the  plan- 
tations were  so  long,  so  difficult  to  find,  and  so  bad,  and  the 
hospitality  of  the  planters  was  such,  that  I  could  scarcely  get 
away  again.     I  ought  to  have  told  you  that  the  deep  sands  of 
South  Carolina  had  so  worn  out  my  horse,  that,  with  all  my 
care,  I  found  he  would  give  up.     Chance  led  me  to  the  house 
of  a  planter,  named  V. ,  about  forty  miles  north  of  the  river 
Wackamaw,  where  I  proposed  to  bargain  with  him,  and  to 
give  up  my  young  blood  horse  for  another  in  exchange;  giving 
him  at  least  as  good  a  character  as  he  deserved.     He  asked 
twenty  dollars  to  boot,  and  /  thirty.     We  parted,  but  I  could 
perceive  that  he  had  taken  a  liking  to  my  steed;  so  I  went  on. 
He  followed  me  to  the  seabeach,  about  three  miles,  under  pre- 
tence of  pointing  out  to  me  the  road ;  and  there,  on  the  sands, 
amidst  the  roar  of  the  Atlantic,  we  finally  bargained;  and  I 
found  myself  in  possession  of  a  large,  well  formed  and  elegant, 
sorrel  horse,  that  ran  off  with  me,  at  a  canter,  for  fifteen  miles 
along  the  sea  shore;  and  travelled  the  same  day  forty-two 
miles,  with  nothing  but  a  few  mouthfuls  of  rice  straw,  which  I 
got  from  a  negro.     If  you  have  ever  seen  the  rushes  with 
which  carpenters  sometimes  smooth  their  work,  you  may  form 
some  idea  of  the  common  fare  of  the  South  Carolina  horses.    I 


LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

found  now  that  I  had  got  a  very,  devil  before  my  chair;  the 
least  sound  of  the  whip  made  him  spring  half  a  rod  at  a  leap; 
no  road,  however  long  or  heavy,  could  tame  him.  Two  or 
three  times  he  had  nearly  broke  my  neck,  and  chair  to  boot; 
and  at  Georgetown  ferry  he  threw  one  of  the  boatmen  into  the 
river.  But  he  is  an  excellent  traveller,  and  for  that  one  quali- 
ty I  forgave  him  all  his  sins,  only  keeping  a  close  rein,  and  a 

sharp  look  out. 

*  •*  *  * 

"  I  should  now  give  you  some  account  of  Charleston,  with 
the  streets  of  which  I  am  as  well  acquainted  as  I  was  with 
those  of  New  York  and  Boston;  but  I  reserve  that  till  we  meet. 
I  shall  only  say,  that  the  streets  cross  each  other  at  right  an- 
gles— are  paved  on  the  sides — have  a  low  bed  of  sand  in  the 
middle;  and  frequently  are  in  a  state  fit  to  compare  to  those  of 
Norfolk.  The  town,  however,  is  neat — has  a  gay  appearance 
— is  full  of  shops;  and  has  a  market  place  which  far  surpasses 
those  of  Philadelphia  for  cleanliness,  and  is  an  honour  to  the 
city.  Many  of  the  buildings  have  two,  three,  and  four  ranges 
of  piazzas,  one  above  another,  with  a  great  deal  of  gingerbread 
work  about  them.  The  streets  are  crowded  with  negroes;  and 
their  quarrels  often  afford  amusement  to  the  passengers.  In  a 
street  called  Broad  street,  I  every  day  see  a  crowd  of  wretch- 
edly clad  blacks,  huddled  in  a  corner  for  sale:  people  handling 
them  as  they  do  black  cattle.  Here  are  female  chimney 
sweeps;  stalls  with  roasted  sweet  potatoes  for  sale;  and  on  the 
wharves  clubs  of  blacks,  male  and  female,  sitting  round  fires, 
amid  heaps  of  oyster-shells,  cooking  their  victuals — these  seem 
the  happiest  mortals  on  earth.  The  finest  groups  for  a  comic 
painter  might  every  day  be  found  here  that  any  country  can 
produce. 

"  The  ladies  of  Charleston  are  dressed  with  taste;  but  their 
pale  and  languid  countenances  by  no  means  correspond  with 
their  figures.  *  *  * 

"  To-morrow  afternoon  I  shall  set  off  for  Savannah.     I  have 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xciii 

collected  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  subscribers  since  leaving 
home." 

Savannah,  March  5,  1809. 
"  Dear  Sir, 

"  I  have  now  reached  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  my  peregrina- 
tions, and  shall  return  home  by  the  first  opportunity.  Whether 
this  shall  be  by  land  or  water,  depends  on  circumstances;  if 
the  former,  I  shall  go  by  Augusta,  where  I  am  told  twelve  or 
fifteen  subscribers  may  be  procured.  These,  however,  would 
be  insufficient  to  tempt  me  that  way,  for  I  doubt  whether  my 
funds  would  be  sufficient  to  carry  me  through. 

"  The  innkeepers  in  the  southern  states  are  like  the  vultures 
that  hover  about  their  cities;  and  treat  their  guests  as  the  others 
do  their  carrion:  are  as  glad  to  see  them,  and  pick  them  as 
bare.  The  last  letter  I  wrote  you  was  on  my  arrival  in 
Charleston.  I  found  greater  difficulties  to  surmount  there  than 
I  had  thought  of.  I  solicited  several  people  for  a  list  of  names, 
but  that  abject  and  disgraceful  listlessness,  and  want  of  energy, 
which  have  unnerved  the  whites  of  all  descriptions  in  these 
states,  put  me  off  from  time  to  time,  till  at  last  I  was  obliged 
to  walk  the  streets,  and  pick  out  those  houses  which,  from 
their  appearance,  indicated  wealth  and  taste  in  the  occupants, 
and  introduce  myself.  Neither  M.,  Dr.  R.,  nor  any  other 
that  I  applied  to,  gave  me  the  least  assistance,  though  they  pro- 
mised, and  knew  I  was  a  stranger.  I  was  going  on  in  this 
way,  when  the  keeper  of  the  library,  a  Scotsman,  a  good  man, 
whose  name  had  been  mentioned  to  me,  made  me  out  a  list 
from  the  directory;  and  among  these  I  spent  ten  days.  The 
extreme  servility,  and  superabundance  of  negroes,  have  ruined 
the  energy  and  activity  of  the  white  population.  M.  appears 
to  be  fast  sinking  into  the  same  insipidity  of  character,  with  a 
pretty  good  sprinkling  of  rapacity.  In  Charleston,  however, 
I  met  with  some  excellent  exceptions,  among  the  first  ranks  of 
society;  and  the  work  excited  universal  admiration.  Dr.  D. 
introduced  it  very  handsomely  into  the  Courier.  On  hearing 
of  general  Wilkinson's  arrival,  I  waited  on  him.  He  received 


XCiv  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

me  with  kindness — said  he  valued  the  book  highly — and  paid 
me  the  twelve  dollars;  on  which  I  took  occasion  to  prognosti- 
cate my  final  success  on  receiving  its  first  fruits  from  him. 

"  I  will  not  tire  you  by  a  recital  of  the  difficulties  which  I 
met  with  between  Charleston  and  Savannah,  by  bad  roads,  and 
the  extraordinary  flood  of  the  river  Savannah,  where  I  had 
nearly  lost  my  horse,  he  having,  by  his  restiveness,  thrown 
himself  overboard;  and,  had  I  not,  at  great  personal  risk,  res- 
cued him,  he  might  have  floated  down  to  Savannah  before  me. 

"  I  arrived  here  on  Tuesday  last,  and  advertised  in  the  Re- 
publican, the  editors  of  which  interested  themselves  considera- 
bly for  me,  speaking  of  my  book  in  their  Thursday's  paper 
with  much  approbation.  The  expense  of  advertising  in  the 
southern  states  is  great;  but  I  found  it  really  necessary.  I 
have  now  seen  every  person  in  this  place  and  neighbourhood, 
of  use  to  be  seen.  Here  I  close  the  list  of  my  subscrip- 
tions, obtained  at  a  price  worth  more  than  five  times  their 
amount.  But,  in  spite  of  a  host  of  difficulties,  I  have  gained 
my  point;  and  should  the  work  be  continued  in  the  style  it  has 
been  begun,  I  have  no  doubt  but  we  may  increase  the  copies 
to  four  hundred.  I  have  endeavoured  to  find  persons  of  re- 
spectability in  each  town,  who  will  receive  and  deliver  the  vo- 
lumes, without  recompense,  any  further  than  allowing  them  to 
make  the  first  selection.  By  this  means  the  rapacity  of  some 
booksellers  will  be  avoided. 

"  The  weather  has  been  extremely  warm  these  ten  days,  the 
thermometer  stood  in  the  shade  on  Friday  and  Saturday  last, 
at  78°  and  79°.  I  have  seen  no  frost  since  the  5th  of  February. 
The  few  gardens  here  are  as  green  and  luxuriant  as  ours  are  in 
summer — full  of  flowering  shrubbery,  and  surrounded  with 
groves  of  orange  trees,  fifteen  and  twenty  feet  high,  loaded  with 
fruit.  The  streets  are  deep  beds  of  heavy  sand,  without  the  ac- 
commodation of  a  foot  pavement.  I  most  sincerely  hope  that 
I  may  be  able  to  return  home  by  water;  if  not,  I  shall  trouble 
you  with  one  letter  more." 


LIFE  OF  WILSON,  XCV 

TO  MR.   WILLIAM  BARTRAM. 

Savannah,  March  5,  1809. 

"  Three  months,  my  dear  friend,  are  passed  since  I  parted 
from  you  in  Kingsess.  I  have  been  travelling  ever  since ;  and 
one  half  of  my  journey  is  yet  to  be  performed — but  that  half  is 
homewards,  and  through  old  Neptune's  dominions,  where  I  trust 
I  shall  not  be  long  detained.  This  has  been  the  most  arduous, 
expensive,  and  fatiguing,  expedition  I  ever  undertook.  I  have, 
however,  gained  my  point  in  procuring  two  hundred  and  fifty 
subscribers,  in  all,  for  my  Ornithology ;  and  a  great  mass  of  in- 
formation respecting  the  birds  that  winter  in  the  southern  states, 
and  some  that  never  visit  the  middle  states;  and  this  information 
I  have  derived  personally,  and  can  therefore  the  more  certainly 
depend  upon  it.  I  have,  also,  found  several  new  birds,  of  which 
I  can  find  no  account  in  Linneus.  All  these  things  we  will  talk 

over  when  we  meet. 

*  *  *  * 

"  I  visited  a  great  number  of  the  rich  planters  on  the  rivers 
Santee  and  Pedee,  and  was  much  struck  with  the  miserable 
swarms  of  negroes  around  them.  In  these  rice  plantations,  there 
are  great  numbers  of  birds,  never  supposed  to  winter  so  far 
north,  and  their  tameness  surprised  me.  There  are  also  many 
here  that  never  visit  Pennsylvania.  Round  Georgetown  I  also 
visited  several  rich  planters,  all  of  whom  entertained  me  hos- 
pitably. I  spent  ten  days  in  Charleston,  still,  in  every  place 
where  I  stopped  a  day  or  two,  making  excursions  with  my  gun. 

"  On  the  commons,  near  Charleston,  I  presided  at  a  singular 
feast.  The  company  consisted  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-seven 
Carrion  Crows,  (  Vultur  atratus]  five  or  six  dogs,  and  myself, 
though  I  only  kept  order,  and  left  the  eating  part  entirely  to 
the  others.  I  sat  so  near  to  the  dead  horse,  that  my  feet  touch- 
ed his,  and  yet  at  one  time  I  counted  thirty-eight  vultures  on 
and  within  him,  so  that  hardly  an  inch  of  his  flesh  could  be  seen 
for  them.  Linneus  and  others  have  confounded  this  Vultur  with 
the  Turkey  Buzzard,  but  they  are  two  very  distinct  species. 


xcvi  LiFE  OF  WILSON. 

"  As  far  north  as  Wilmington,  in  North  Carolina,  I  met  with 
the  Ivory-billed  Woodpecker.  I  killed  two,  and  winged  a  male, 
who  alarmed  the  whole  town  of  Wilmington,  screaming  exactly 
like  a  young  child  crying  violently,  so  that  every  body  sup- 
posed I  had  a  baby  under  the  apron  of  my  chair,  till  I  took  out 
the  bird  to  prevent  the  people  from  stopping  me.  This  bird  I 
confined  in  the  room  I  was  to  sleep  in,  and  in  less  than  half  an 
hour  he  made  his  way  through  the  plaster,  the  lath,  and  partly 
through  the  weather  boards;  and  would  have  escaped,  if  I  had 
not  accidentally  come  in.  The  common  people  confound  the 

P.  principalis  and  P.  pileatus  together. 

*  *  *  * 

"I  am  utterly  at  a  loss  in  my  wood  rambles  here,  for  there 
are  so  many  trees,  shrubs,  plants,  and  insects,  that  I  know  no- 
thing of.  There  are  immense  quantities  of  elegant  butterflies, 
and  other  singular  insects.  I  met  with  a  grasshopper  so  big  that 
I  took  it  for  a  bird;  it  settles  upon  trees  and  bushes.  I  have 
kept  a  record  of  all  the  birds  which  I  have  seen  or  shot  since  I 
left  home. 

"  This  journey  will  be  of  much  use  to  me,  as  I  have  formed 
acquaintance  in  almost  every  place,  who  are  able  to  transmit 
me  information.  Great  numbers  of  our  summer  birds  are  al- 
ready here;  and  many  are  usually  here  all  winter. 

"  There  is  a  Mr.  Abbot  here,  who  has  resided  in  Georgia 
thirty-three  years,  drawing  insects  and  birds.  I  have  been  on 
several  excursions  with  him.  He  is  a  very  good  observer,  and 
paints  well.  He  has  published,  in  London,  one  large  folio  vo- 
lume of  the  Lepidopterous  Insects  of  Georgia.  It  is  a  very 
splendid  work.  There  is  only  one  vessel  here  bound  to  New 
York;  she  sails  some  time  next  week,  and  I  shall  take  my  pas- 
sage in  her.  I  caught  a  fever  here  by  getting  wet;  I  hope  the 
sea  air,  and  sea-sickness,  will  carry  it  off." 

Savannah,  March  8,  1809. 
"Dear  Sir, 

"  Having  now  visited  all  the  towns  within  one  hundred  miles 
of  the  Atlantic,  from  Maine  to  Georgia,  and  done  as  much  for 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  XCvii 

this  bantling  book  of  mine  as  ever  author  did  for  any  progeny 
of  his  brain,  I  now  turn  my  wishful  eye  towards  home.  There 
is  a  charm,  a  melody,  in  this  little  word  home,  which  only 
those  know,  who  have  forsaken  it  to  wander  among  strangers, 
exposed  to  dangers,  fatigues,  insults  and  impositions,  of  a  thou- 
sand nameless  kinds.  Perhaps  I  feel  the  force  of  this  idea  ra- 
ther more  at  present  than  usual,  being  indisposed  with  a  slight 
fever  these  three  days,  which  a  dose  of  sea-sickness  will,  I  hope, 
rid  me  of.  The  weather  since  my  arrival  in  this  place  has  been 
extremely  warm  for  the  season.  The  wind  generally  south- 
west, and  the  thermometer  ranging  between  75  and  82.  To  me 
it  feels  more  intolerable  than  our  summer  heat  in  Philadelphia. 
The  streets  of  Savannah  are  also  mere  beds  of  burning  sand, 
without  even  a  foot  pavement;  and  until  one  learns  to  traverse 
them  with  both  eyes  and  mouth  shut,  both  are  plentifully  filled 
with  showers  and  whirlwinds  of  sand.  I  was  longer  detained  in 
Charleston  than  I  expected,  partly  on  account  of  the  races,  which 
occupied  the  minds  of  many  I  wished  to  visit,  to  the  exclusion 
of  every  thing  else.  At  nine  they  were  in  bed;  at  ten  break- 
fasting— dressing  at  eleven — gone  out  at  noon,  and  not  visible 
again  until  ten  next  morning,  I  met,  however,  with  some  ex- 
cellent exceptions,  among  the  first  ranks  of  society,  and  my 
work  excited  universal  admiration.  Dr.  D.  introduced  it  very 
handsomely  into  the  Courier. 

"The  indolence,  want  of  energy,  and  dissipation,  of  the 
wealthy  part  of  the  community  in  that  place,  are  truly  con- 
temptible. The  superabundance  of  negroes  in  the  southern 
states  has  destroyed  the  activity  of  the  whites.  The  carpenter, 
bricklayer,  and  even  the  blacksmith,  stand  with  their  hands  in 
their  pockets,  overlooking  their  negroes.  The  planter  orders 
his  servant  to  tell  the  overseer  to  see  my  horse  fed  and  taken 
care  of;  the  overseer  sends  another  negro  to  tell  the  driver  to 
send  one  of  his  hands  to  do  it.  Before  half  of  this  routine  is 
gone  through,  I  have  myself  unharnessed,  rubbed  down,  and 
fed  my  horse.  Every  thing  must  be  done  through  the  agency 
of  these  slovenly  blacks.  *  *  *  These,  however,  are  not  one- 

VOL.  i. — N 


XCViii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

tenth  of  the  curses  slavery  has  brought  on  the  southern  states. 
Nothing  has  surprised  me  more  than  the  cold  melancholy  re- 
serve of  the  females,  of  the  best  families,  in  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia.  Old  and  young,  single  and  married,  all  have  that  dull 
frigid  insipidity,  and  reserve,  which  is  attributed  to  solitary  old 
maids.  Even  in  their  own  houses  they  scarce  utter  any  thing 
to  a  stranger  but  yes  or  no,  and  one  is  perpetually  puzzled  to 
know  whether  it  proceeds  from  awkwardness  or  dislike.  Those 
who  have  been  at  some  of  their  balls  say  that  the  ladies  hardly 
ever  speak  or  smile,  but  dance  with  as  much  gravity,  as  if  they 
were  performing  some  ceremony  of  devotion.  On  the  contrary, 
the  negro  wenches  are  all  sprightliness  and  gayety;  and  if  re- 
port be  not  a  defamer — (here,  there  is  a  hiatus  in  the  manu- 
script) which  render  the  men  callous  to  all  the  finer  sensations 
of  love,  and  female  excellence. 

"  I  will  not  detain  you  by  a  recital  of  my  journey  from 
Charleston  to  Savannah.  In  crossing  the  Savannah  river,  at  a 
place  called  the  Two  Sisters'  Ferry,  my  horse  threw  himself 
into  the  torrent,  and  had  I  not,  at  the  risk  of  my  own  life,  res- 
cued him,  would  have  been  drowned." 

Of  the  first  volume  of  the  Ornithology,  only  two  hundred 
copies  had  been  printed.  But  it  was  now  thought  expedient  to 
strike  off  a  new  edition  of  three  hundred  more;  as  the  increas- 
ing approbation  of  the  public  warranted  the  expectation  of  cor- 
responding support. 

TO    MR.    WM.    BARTRAM. 

Philadelphia,  August  4,  1809. 

"  The  second  volume  of  "  American  Ornithology"  being 
now  nearly  ready  to  go  to  press,  and  the  plates  in  considerable 
forwardness,  you  will  permit  me  to  trespass  on  your  time,  for 
a  few  moments,  by  inquiring  if  you  have  any  thing  interesting 
to  add  to  the  history  of  the  following  birds,  the  figures  of  which 

will  be  found  in  this  volume. 

*  *  *  * 

«\ 

"  I  have  myself  already  said  every  thing  of  the  foregoing 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  xcix 

that  my  own  observations  suggested,  or  that  I  have  been  ena- 
bled to  collect  from  those  on  whom  I  could  rely.  As  it  has  fallen 
to  my  lot  to  be  the  biographer  of  the  feathered  tribes  of  the 
United  States,  I  am  solicitous  to  do  full  justice  to  every  species; 
and  I  would  not  conceal  one  good  quality  that  any  one  of  them 
possesses.  I  have  paid  particular  attention  to  the  mocking-bird, 
humming-bird,  king-bird  and  cat-bird;  all  the  principal  traits 
in  their  character  I  have  delineated  at  full.  If  you  have  any 
thing  to  add  on  either  of  them,  I  wish  you  would  communicate 
it  in  the*form  of  a  letter,  addressed  particularly  to  me.  Your  fa- 
vourable opinion  of  my  work  (if  such  you  have)  would,  if  pub- 
licly known,  be  of  infinite  service  to  me,  and  procure  me  many 
friends.  * 

"I  assure  you,  my  dear  friend,  that  this  undertaking  has 
involved  me  in  many  difficulties  and  expenses  which  I  never 
dreamt  of ;t  and  I  have  never  yet  received  one  cent  from  it.  I 

*  This  instance  of  Wilson's  diffidence  of  his  own  talents  and  acquirements 
is  too  remarkable  to  be  passed  over  without  a  note.  He  seemed  to  fear  lest 
the  intrinsic  merit  of  his  work  should  not  be  sufficient,  of  itself,  tog-etit  into 
notice;  and  therefore  he  solicited  the  favourable  opinion  of  one,  to  whose 
judgment  in  these  matters,  he  felt  assured,  the  public  paid  a  deference. 
Contrasted  with  this  modest  deportment,  how  contemptible  is  the  vanity,  and 
self  conceit,  of  those  writers,  who,  whether  they  compose  a  superficial  essay, 
for  the  transactions  of  a  learned  society,  or  compile  a  bald  and  meager  pam- 
phlet, present  themselves  before  the  public  with  an  air  of  importance,  which 
should  seem  to  demand  that  countenance  and  applause,  as  a  matter  of  right, 
which  true  merit  humbly  requests  as  a  favour. 

f  The  great  expense  of  the  publication  prevented  the  author  from  giving 
all  his  plates  that  finish  which  his  taste  and  judgment  would  have  approved; 
but  that  in  some  instances  extraordinary  pains  were  bestowed  upon  them,  a 
cursory  glance  will  render  evident.  I  have  Mr.  Lawson's  authority  for  assert- 
ing1, that,  so  anxious  was  he  to  encourage  his  friend,  frequently  after  compu- 
ting" the  time  spent  upon  perfecting  his  work,  he  found  liis  reward  did  not 
amount  to  more  than  fifty  cents  per  day. 

From  a  note  to  this  gentleman,  I  make  the  following-  extract,  relating  to 
the  bald  eagle : 

"  I  hope  you  go  on  courageously  with  the  eagle;  let  no  expense  deter  you 
from  giving  it  the  freest  and  most  masterly  touches  of  your  graver.  I  think 
we  shall  be  able  to  offer  it  as  a  competitor  with  the  best  that  this  country  or 
Europe  can  produce." 


C  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

am,  therefore,  a  volunteer  in  the  cause  of  Natural  History,  im- 
pelled by  nobler  views  than  those  of  money.  The  second  volume 
will  be  ready  for  delivery  on  the  first  of  January  next.  I  have  re- 
ceived communications  from  many  different  parts  of  the  United 
States;  with  some  drawings,  and  offers  of  more.  But  these  are 
rarely  executed  with  such  precision  as  is  necessary  for  a  work 
of  this  kind. 

"  Let  me  know  if  you  have  ever  seen  the  nest  of  Catesby's 
cowpen-bird.  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  this  bird  never 
builds  itself  a  nest,  but,  like  the  cuckoo  of  Europe,  flrops  its 
eggs  into  the  nests  of  other  birds;  and  leaves  the  result  to  their 
mercy  and  management.  I  have  found  no  less  than  six  nests 
this  season,  with  each  a  young  cow-bird  contained  in  it.  One 
of  these,  which  I  had  found  in  the  nest  of  the  Maryland  yellow- 
throat,  and  which  occupied  the  whole  nest,  I  brought  home, 
and  put  it  into  the  cage  of  a  crested  red-bird,  who  became  its 
foster  father,  and  fed,  and  reared  it,  with  great  affection.  It 
begins  to  chant  a  little. 

"  I  have  just  heard  from  our  old  friend  M*  *.  He  has  not 
yet  published  the  first  number  of  his  work;  and  Bonaparte  has 
been  so  busy  with  cutting  throats,  and  building  bridges,  in  the 
forests  of  Austria,  that  the  Inspector  of  the  Forests  of  France 
has  not  yet  received  his  appointment." 

TO  MR.  WM.  BARTRAM. 

October  11,  1809. 

"  Thanks  for  your  bird,  so  neatly  stuffed,  that  I  was  just 
about  to  skin  it.  It  is  the  Rallus  virginianus  of  Turton,  and 
agrees  exactly  with  his  description.  The  one  in  company  was 
probably  the  female.  Turton  mentions  four  species  as  inhabi- 
tants of  the  United  States.  I  myself  have  seen  six.  Mr.  Abbot 
of  Savannah  showed  me  two  new  species.  I  found  the  sora,  as 
the  Virginians  call  it,  in  the  rice  flats  near  Savannah,  in  March. 
General  Wilkinson  told  me  that  the  sora  was  in  multitudes  at 
Detroit.  Query — don't  you  think  they  breed  in  the  north,  like 
the  rice-birds?  Are  not  the  European  naturalists  mistaken  in 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  ci 

saying  that  the  reed-birds  or  rice-birds  pass  from  the  Island  of 
Cuba,  in  September,  to  Carolina?  All  the  Spaniards  with  whom 
I  have  conversed,  say  that  these  birds  are  seen  in  Cuba,  early 
in  the  spring  only,  and  again  in  October.  And  the  people  of 
the  District  of  Maine,  of  all  the  New  England  states,  and  those 
who  have  lived  on  the  river  Illinois,  declare  that  these  birds 
breed  there  in  vast  numbers. 

"I  have  many  times  been  told  that  our  small  snow-bird 
(fringilla  hudsonia)  breeds  in  the  Great  Swamp,  which  I 
can  hardly  believe.  When  I  was  in  Williamsburg,  Virginia, 
Bishop  Madison  told  me  of  a  mountain,  in  the  interior  of  that 
state,  where  they  bred  in  multitudes.  I  have  lately  had  the 
most  positive  assurances  from  a  gentleman  who  lived  on  the 
ranges  of  the  Alleghany,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  dis- 
tant, that  he  saw  them  there  four  months  ago;  and  that  they 
built  their  nests  almost  every  where  among  the  long  grass.  He 
said  he  took  particular  notice  of  them,  as  he  had  heard  it  said 
down  here,  that  they  changed  to  chipping  sparrows  in  summer. 
What  think  you  of  these  matters?" 

TO  MR.  WM.   BARTRAM. 

Philadelphia,  Nov.  11,  1809. 
«  Dear  Sir, 

"  Since  I  parted  from  you  yesterday  evening,  I  have  rumi- 
nated a  great  deal  on  my  proposed  journey ;  I  have  considered 
the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  the  three  modes  of  pro- 
ceeding: on  horseback — in  the  stage-coach,  and  on  foot.  Taking 
every  thing  into  view,  I  have  at  length  determined  to  adopt 
the  last,  as  being  the  cheapest,  the  best  adapted  for  examining 
the  country  we  pass  through;  the  most  favourable  to  health; 
and,  in  short,  except  for  its  fatigues,  the  best  mode  for  a  sci- 
entific traveller  or  naturalist,  in  every  point  of  view.  I  have 
also  thought  that  by  this  determination  I  will  be  so  happy  as 
to  secure  your  company,  for  which  I  would  willingly  sustain 
as  much  hardship,  and  as  many  deprivations,  as  I  am  able  to 
bear. 


Cii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

"  If  this  determination  should  meet  your  approbation,  and 
if  you  are  willing  to  encounter  the  hardships  of  such  a  pedes- 
trian journey,  let  me  know  as  soon  as  is  convenient.  I  think 
one  dollar  a  day,  each,  will  be  fully  sufficient  for  our  expenses, 
by  a  strict  regard,  at  all  times,  to  economy." 

The  second  volume  of  the  Ornithology  was  published  in  Ja- 
nuary, 1810;  and  Wilson  set  out  for  Pittsburg,  the  latter  part 
of  the  same  month,  in  his  route  to  New  Orleans.  I  trust  that 
no  apology  is  necessary  for  introducing  the  following  letters, 
addressed  to  Mr.  Lawson,  into  these  memoirs,  notwithstand- 
ing three  of  them  are  well  known  to  the  public,  having  origi- 
nally appeared  in  the  Port  Folio.* 

TO  MR.  ALEXANDER  LAWSON. 

4  Pittsburg,  February  22d}  1810. 
«  Dear  Sir, 

"  From  this  first  stage  of  my  Ornithological  pilgrimage,  I 
sit  down,  with  pleasure,  to  give  you  some  account  of  my  ad- 
ventures since  we  parted.  On  arriving  at  Lancaster,  I  waited 
on  the  governor,  secretary  of  state,  and  such  other  great  folks 
as  were  likely  to  be  useful  to  me.  The  governor  received  me 
with  civility,  passed  some  good  natured  compliments  on  the 
volumes,  and  readily  added  his  name  to  my  list.  He  seems 
an  active  man,  of  plain  good  sense,  and  little  ceremony.  By 
Mr.  L.  I  was  introduced  to  many  members  of  both  houses, 
but  I  found  them,  in  general,  such  a  pitiful,  squabbling,  politi- 
cal mob;  so  split  up,  and  justling  about  the  mere  formalities  of 
legislation,  without  knowing  any  thing  of  its  realities,  that  I 
abandoned  them  in  disgust.  I  must,  however,  except  from 
this  censure  a  few  intelligent  individuals,  friends  to  science, 
and  possessed  of  taste,  who  treated  me  with  great  kindness. 
On  Friday  evening  I  set  out  for  Columbia,  where  I  spent  one 
day  in  vain.  I  crossed  the  Susquehannah  on  Sunday  forenoon, 
with  some  difficulty,  having  to  cut  our  way  through  the  ice  for 
several  hundred  yards;  and  passing  on  to  York,  paid  my  re- 

*  New  Series,  vols.  Ill,  499,  IV,  310,  VII,  34. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  ciii 

spects  to  all  the  literati  of  that  place  without  success.  Five 
miles  north  of  this  town  lives  a  very  extraordinary  character, 
between  eighty  and  ninety  years  of  age,  who  has  lived  by 
trapping  birds  and  quadrupeds  these  thirty  years.  Dr.  F.  car- 
ried me  out  in  a  sleigh  to  see  him,  and  presented  me  with  a 
tolerably  good  full  length  figure  of  him;  he  has  also  promised 
to  transmit  to  me  such  a  collection  of  facts  relative  to  this  sin- 
gular original,  as  will  enable  me  to  draw  up  an  interesting  nar- 
rative of  him  for  the  Port  Folio.  I  carried  him  half  a  pound 
of  snuff,  of  which  he  is  insatiably  fond,  taking  it  by  handfuls. 
I  was  much  diverted  with  the  astonishment  he  expressed  on 
looking  at  the  plates  of  my  work — he  could  tell  me  anecdotes 
of  the  greater  part  of  the  subjects  of  the  first  volume,  and  some 
of  the  second.  One  of  his  traps,  which  he  says  he  invented 
himself,  is  remarkable  for  ingenuity,  and  extremely  simple. 
Having  a  letter  from  Dr.  Muhlenberg  to  a  clergyman  in  Hano- 
ver, I  passed  on  through  a  well  cultivated  country,  chiefly  in- 
habited by  Germans,  to  that  place,  where  a  certain  Judge  took 
upon  himself  to  say,  that  such  a  book  as  mine  ought  not  to  be 
encouraged,  as  it  was  not  ivithin  the  reach  of  the  commona- 
lity; and  therefore  inconsistent  with  our  republican  institu- 
tions! By  the  same  mode  of  reasoning,  which  I  did  not  dis- 
pute, I  undertook  to  prove  him  a  greater  culprit  than  myself, 
in  erecting  a  large,  elegant,  three-story  brick  house,  so  much 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  commonality,  as  he  called  them,  and 
consequently  grossly  contrary  to  our  republican  institutions.  I 
harangued  this  Solomon  of  the  Bench  more  seriously  after- 
wards, pointing  out  to  him  the  great  influence  of  science  on  a 
young  rising  nation  like  ours,  and  particularly  the  science  of 
Natural  History,  till  he  began  to  show  such  symptoms  of  in- 
tellect, as  to  seem  ashamed  of  what  he  had  said. 

"  From  Hanover  I  passed  through  a  thinly  inhabited  coun- 
try; and  crossing  the  North  Mountain,  at  a  pass  called  New- 
man's Gap,  arrived  at  Chambersburg,  whence  I  next  morning 
returned  to  Carlisle,  to  visit  the  reverend  doctors  of  the  col- 
lege. *  *  * 


civ  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

"  The  towns  of  Chambersburg  and  Shippensburg  produced 
me  nothing.  On  Sunday,  the  llth,  I  left  the  former  of  these 
places  in  the  stage  coach;  and  in  fifteen  miles  began  to  ascend 
the  Alpine  regions  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  where  above, 
around,  and  below  us,  nothing  appeared  but  prodigious  decli- 
vities, covered  with  woods;  and,  the  weather  being  fine,  such 
a  profound  silence  prevailed  among  these  aerial  solitudes,  as  im- 
pressed the  soul  with  awe,  and  a  kind  of  fearful  sublimity. 
Something  of  this  arose  from  my  being  alone,  having  left  the 
coach  several  miles  below.  These  high  ranges  continued  for 
more  than  one  hundred  miles  to  Greensburg,  thirty-two  miles 
from  Pittsburg;  thence  the  country  is  nothing  but  an  assem- 
blage of  steep  hills,  and  deep  vallies,  descending  rapidly  till 
you  reach  within  seven  miles  of  this  place,  where  I  arrived  on 
the  15th  instant.  We  were  within  two  miles  of  Pittsburg, 
when  suddenly  the  road  descends  a  long  and  very  steep  hill, 
where  the  Alleghany  river  is  seen  at  hand,  on  the  right, 
stretching  along  a  rich  bottom,  and  bounded  by  a  high  ridge  of 
hills  on  the  west.  After  following  this  road,  parallel  with  the 
river,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  it,  through  a  rich  low 
valley,  a  cloud  of  black  smoke,  at  its  extremity,  announced 
the  town  of  Pittsburg.  On  arriving  at  the  town,  which 
stands  on  a  low  flat,  and  looks  like  a  collection  of  Blacksmith's 
shops,  Glasshouses,  Breweries,  Forges  and  Furnaces,  the  Mo- 
nongahela  opened  to  the  view,  on  the  left,  running  along  the 
bottom  of  a  range  of  hills  so  high  that  the  sun,  at  this  season, 
sets  to  the  town  of  Pittsburg  at  a  little  past  four:  this  range 
continues  along  the  Ohio  as  far  as  the  view  reaches.  The  ice 
had  just  begun  to  give  way  in  the  Monongahela,  and  came 
down  in  vast  bodies  for  the  three  following  days.  It  has  now 
begun  in  the  Alleghany,  and,  at  the  moment  I  write,  the  river 
presents  a  white  mass  of  rushing  ice. 

"  The  country  beyond  the  Ohio,  to  the  west,  appears  a 
mountainous  and  hilly  region.  The  Monongahela  is  lined 
with  arks,  usually  called  Kentucky-boats,  waiting  for  the  rising 
of  the  river,  and  the  absence  of  the  ice,  to  descend.  A  per- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  CV 

spective  view  of  the  town  of  Pittsburg  at  this  season,  with  the 
numerous  arks  and  covered  keel-boats  preparing  to  descend 
the  Ohio;  its  hills,  its  great  rivers — the  pillars  of  smoke  rising 
from  its  furnaces  and  glass-works — would  make  a  noble  picture. 
I  began  a  very  diligent  search  in  this  place,  the  day  after  my 
arrival,  for  subscribers,  and  continued  it  for  four  days.  I  suc- 
ceeded beyond  expectation,  having  got  nineteen  names  of  the 
most  wealthy  and  respectable  part  of  the  inhabitants.  The  in- 
dustry of  Pittsburg  is  remarkable;  every  body  you  see  is  busy; 
and  as  a  proof  of  the  prosperity  of  the  place,  an  eminent  law- 
yer told  me  that  there  has  not  been  one  suit  instituted  against 

a  merchant  of  the  town  these  three  years. 

#  #  #  .# 

"  Gentlemen  here  assure  me  that  the  road  to  Chilicothe  is 
impassable  on  foot  by  reason  of  the  freshes.  I  have  therefore 
resolved  to  navigate  myself  a  small  skiff,  which  I  have  bought, 
and  named  the  ORNITHOLOGIST,  down  to  Cincinnati,  a  distance 
of  five  hundred  and  twenty-eight  miles;  intending  to  visit  five 
or  six  towns  that  lie  in  my  way.  From  Cincinnati  I  will 
cross  over  to  the  opposite  shore,  and,  abandoning  my  boat, 
make  my  way  to  Lexington,  where  I  expect  to  be  ere  your 
letter  can  reach  that  place.  Were  I  to  go  by  Chilicothe,  I 
should  miss  five  towns,  as  large  as  it.  Some  say  that  I  ought 
not  to  attempt  going  down  by  myself — others  think  I  may. 
I  am  determined  to  make  the  experiment,  the  expense  of 
hiring  a  rower  being  considerable.  As  soon  as  the  ice  clears 
out  of  the  Alleghany,  and  the  weather  will  permit,  I  shall 
shove  off,  having  every  thing  in  readiness.  I  have  ransacked 
the  woods  and  fields  here  without  finding  a  single  bird  new  to 
me,  or  indeed  any  thing  but  a  few  snow-birds  and  sparrows. 
I  expect  to  have  something  interesting  to  communicate  in  my 

next. 

*  -#  *  * 

"  My  friends  will  please  accept  through  you  my  best  wishes 
and  kindest  respects;  and  I  regret  that  while  the  grand  specta- 
cle of  mountains,  regions  of  expanded  forests,  glittering  townsr 

VOL.  i. — o 


cvi  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

and  noble  rivers,  are  passing  in  rapid  succession  before  my  de- 
lighted view,  they  are  not  beside  me  to  enjoy  the  varying 
scenery;  but  as  far  as  my  pen  will  enable  me,  I  will  freely 
share  it  with  them,  and  remember  them  affectionately  until  I 
forget  myself. 

"  February  23d.  My  baggage  is  on  board — I  have  just  to 
despatch  this  and  set  off.  The  weather  is  fine,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  of  piloting  my  skiff  in  safety  to  Cincinnati.  Farewell ! 
God  bless  you!" 

TO  MR.  ALEXANDER  LAWSON. 

Lexington,  JZpril  4,  1810. 
"  My  Dear  Sir, 

"  Having  now  reached  the  second  stage  of  my  bird-catching 
expedition,  I  willingly  sit  down  to  give  you  some  account  of 
my  adventures  and  remarks  since  leaving  Pittsburg;  by  the 
aid  of  a  good  map,  and  your  usual  stock  of  patience,  you  will 
be  able  to  listen  to  my  story,  and  trace  all  my  wanderings. 
Though  generally  dissuaded  from  venturing  by  myself  on  so 
long  a  voyage  down  the  Ohio,  in  an  open  skiff,  I  considered 
this  mode,  with  all  its  inconveniences,  as  the  most  favourable 
to  my  researches,  and  the  most  suitable  to  my  funds,  and  I  de- 
termined accordingly.  Two  days  before  my  departure,  the 
Alleghany  river  was  one  wide  torrent  of  broken  ice,  and  I  cal- 
culated on  experiencing  considerable  difficulties  on  this  score. 
My  stock  of  provisions  consisted  of  some  biscuit  and  cheese, 
and  a  bottle  of  cordial  presented  me  by  a  gentleman  of  Pitts- 
burg;  my  gun,  trunk  and  great  coat,  occupied  one  end  of  the 
boat;  I  had  a  small  tin  occasionally  to  bale  her,  and  to  take  my 
beverage  from  the  Ohio  with;  and  bidding  adieu  to  the  smoky 
confines  of  Pitt,  I  lanched  into  the  stream,  and  soon  winded 
away  among  the  hills  that  every  where  enclose  this  noble  river. 
The  weather  was  warm  and  serene,  and  the  river  like  a  mir- 
ror, except  where  floating  masses  of  ice  spotted  its  surface,  and 
which  required  some*  care  to  steer  clear  of;  but  these  to  my 
surprise,  in  less  than  a  day's  sailing,  totally  disappeared.  Far 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cvii 

from  being  concerned  at  my  new  situation,  I  felt  my  heart  ex- 
pand with  joy  at  the  novelties  which  surrounded  me;  I  listened 
with  pleasure  to  the  whistling  of  the  Red-bird  on  the  banks  as 
I  passed,  and  contemplated  the  forest  scenery  as  it  receded, 
with  increasing  delight.  The  smoke  of  the  numerous  sugar 
camps,  rising  lazily  among  the  mountains,  gave  great  effect  to 
the  varying  landscape;  and  the  grotesque  log  cabins,  that  here 
and  there  opened  from  the  woods,  were  diminished  into  mere 
dog-houses  by  the  sublimity  of  the  impending  mountains.  If 
you  suppose  to  yourself  two  parallel  ranges  of  forest-covered 
hills,  whose  irregular  summits  are  seldom  more  than  three  or 
four  miles  apart,  winding  through  an  immense  extent  of  coun- 
try, and  enclosing  a  river  half  a  mile  wide,  which  alternately 
washes  the  steep  declivity  on  one  side,  and  laves  a  rich  flat 
forest-clad  bottom  on  the  other,  of  a  mile  or  so  in  breadth,  you 
will  have  a  pretty  correct  idea  of  the  appearance  of  the  Ohio. 
The  banks  of  these  rich  flats  are  from  twenty  to  sixty  and 
eighty  feet  high,  and  even  these  last  were  within  a  few  feet  of 
being  overflowed  in  December,  1808. 

"  I  now  stripped,  with  alacrity,  to  my  new  avocation.  The 
current  went  about  two  and  a  half  miles  an  hour,  and  I  added 
about  three  and  a  half  miles  more  to  the  boat's  way  with  my 
oars.  In  the  course  of  the  day  I  passed  a  number  of  arks,  or, 
as  they  are  usually  called,  Kentucky  boats,  loaded  with  what 
it  must  be  acknowledged  are  the  most  valuable  commodities  of 
a  country;  viz.  men,  women  and  children,  horses  and  ploughs, 
flour,  millstones,  &c.  Several  of  these  floating  caravans  were 
loaded  with  store  goods  for  the  supply  of  the  settlements 
through  which  they  passed,  having  a  counter  erected,  shawls, 
muslins,  &c.  displayed,  and  every  thing  ready  for  transacting 
business.  On  approaching  a  settlement  they  blow  a  horn  or 
tin  trumpet,  which  announces  to  the  inhabitants  their  arrival. 
I  boarded  many  of  these  arks,  and  felt  much  interested  at  the 
sight  of  so  many  human  beings,  migrating  like  birds  of  passage 
to  the  luxuriant  regions  of  the  south  and  west.  The  arks  are 
built  in  the  form  of  a  parallelogram,  being  from  twelve  to  four- 


CV111 


LIFE  OF  WILSON. 


teen  feet  wide,  and  from  forty  to  seventy  feet  long,  covered 
above,  rowed  only  occasionally  by  two  oars  before,  and  steer- 
ed by  a  long  and  powerful  one  fixed  above,  as  in  the  annexed 
sketch. 

Jirk. 


Barge  for  passing  up  stream. 


"  The  barges  are  taken  up  along  shore  by  setting  poles,  at 
the  rate  of  twenty  miles  or  so  a  day;  the  arks  cost  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  cents  per  foot,  according  to  their  length;  and 
when  they  reach  their  places  of  destination,  seldom  bring  more 
than  one-sixth  their  original  cost.  These  arks  descend  from 
all  parts  of  the  Ohio  and  its  tributary  streams,  the  Alleghany, 
Monongahela,  Muskingum,  Sciota,  Miami,  Kentucky,  Wa- 
bash,  &c.  in  the  months  of  March,  April,  and  May  particular- 
ly, with  goods,  produce  and  emigrants,  the  two  former  for 
markets  along  the  river,  or  at  New  Orleans,  the  latter  for  va- 
rious parts  of  Kentucky,  Ohio,  and  the  Indiana  Territory.  I 
now  return  to  my  own  expedition.  I  rowed  twenty  odd  miles 
the  first  spell,  and  found  I  should  be  able  to  stand  it  perfectly 
well.  About  an  hour  after  night  I  put  up  at  a  miserable  cabin, 
fifty-two  miles  from  Pittsburg,  where  I  slept  on  what  I  sup- 
posed to  be  corn-stalks,  or  something  worse;  so  preferring  the 
smooth  bosom  of  the  Ohio  to  this  brush  heap,  I  got  up  long 
before  day,  and,  being  under  no  apprehension  of  losing  my 
way,  I  again  pushed  out  into  the  stream.  The  landscape  on 
each  side  lay  in  one  mass  of  shade,  but  the  grandeur  of  the  pro- 
jecting headlands  and  vanishing  points,  or  lines,  was  charming- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cix 

ly  reflected  in  the  smooth  glassy  surface  below.  I  could  only 
discover  when  I  was  passing  a  clearing,  by  the  crowing  of 
cocks;  and  now  and  then,  in  more  solitary  places,  the  big- 
horned  owl  made  a  most  hideous  hollowing,  that  echoed  among 
the  mountains.  In  this  lonesome  manner,  with  full  leisure  for 
observation  and  reflection,  exposed  to  hardships  all  day,  and 
hard  births  all  night,  to  storms  of  rain,  hail  and  snow,  for  it 
froze  severely  almost  every  night,  I  persevered,  from  the  24th 
of  February  to  Sunday  evening  March  17th,  when  I  moored 
my  skiff  safely  in  Bear-Grass  Creek,  at  the  Rapids  of  the  Ohio, 
after  a  voyage  of  seven  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  My  hands 
suffered  the  most;  and  it  will  be  some  weeks  yet  before  they 
recover  their  former  feeling  and  flexibility.  It  would  be  the 
task  of  a  month  to  detail  all  the  particulars  of  my  numerous 
excursions,  in  every  direction  from  the  river.  In  Steuben- 
ville,  Charlestown  and  Wheeling,  I  found  some  friends.  At 
Marietta  I  visited  the  celebrated  remains  of  Indian  fortifica- 
tions, as  they  are  improperly  called,  which  cover  a  large  space 
of  ground  on  the  banks  of  the  Muskingum.  Seventy  miles 
above  this,  at  a  place  called  Big-Grave  Creek,  I  examined 
some  extraordinary  remains  of  the  same  kind  there.  The  Big 
Grave  is  three  hundred  paces  round  at  the  base,  seventy  feet 
perpendicular,  and  the  top,  which  is  about  fifty  feet  over,  has 
sunk  in,  forming  a  regular  concavity,  three  or  four  feet  deep. 
This  tumulus  is  in  the  form  of  a  cone,  and  the  whole,  as  well 
as  its  immediate  neighbourhood,  is  covered  with  a  venerable 
growth  of  forest,  four  or  five  hundred  years  old,  which  gives 
it  a  most  singular  appearance.  In  clambering  around  its  steep 
sides,  I  found  a  place  where  a  large  white  oak  had  been  lately 
blown  down,  and  had  torn  up  the  earth  to  the  depth  of  five  or 
six  feet.  In  this  place  I  commenced  digging,  and  continued  to 
labour  for  about  an  hour,  examining  every  handful  of  earth 
with  great  care,  but  except  some  shreds  of  earthen  ware,  made 
of  a  coarse  kind  of  gritty  clay,  and  considerable  pieces  of  char- 
coal, I  found  nothing  else;  but  a  personvof  the  neighbourhood 
presented  me  with  some  beads,  fashioned  out  of  a  kind  of  white 


ex  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

stone,  which  were  found  in  digging  on  the  opposite  side  of  this 
gigantic  mound,  where  I  found  the  hole  still  remaining.  The 
whole  of  an  extensive  plain  a  short  distance  from  this  is  mark- 
ed out  with  squares,  oblongs  and  circles,  one  of  which  com- 
prehends several  acres.  The  embankments  by  which  they  are 
distinguished  are  still  two  or  three  feet  above  the  common  level 
of  the  field.  The  Big  Grave  is  the  property  of  a  Mr.  Tomlin- 
son,  or  Tumblestone,  who  lives  near,  and  who  would  not  ex- 
pend three  cents  to  see  the  whole  sifted  before  his  face.  I  en- 
deavoured to  work  on  his  avarice,  by  representing  the  proba- 
bility that  it  might  contain  valuable  matters,  and  suggested 
to  him  a  mode  by  which  a  passage  might  be  cut  into  it  level 
with  the  bottom,  and  by  excavation  and  arching,  a  most  noble 
cellar  might  be  formed  for  keeping  his  turnips  and  potatoes. 
"  All  the  turnips  and  potatoes  I  shall  raise  this  dozen  years," 
said  he,  "  would  not  pay  the  expense."  This  man  is  no  anti- 
quary, or  theoretical  farmer,  nor  much  of  a  practical  one  either 
I  fear;  he  has  about  two  thousand  acres  of  the  best  land,  and 
just  makes  out  to  live.  Near  the  head  of  what  is  called  the 
Long  Reach,  I  called  on  a  certain  Michael  Cressap,  son  to  the 
noted  colonel  Cressap,  mentioned  in  Jefferson's  Notes  on  Vir- 
ginia. From  him  I  received  the  head  of  a  Paddle  fish,  the 
largest  ever  seen  in  the  Ohio,  which  I  am  keeping  for  Mr. 
Peale,  with  various  other  curiosities.  I  took  the  liberty  of 
asking  whether  Logan's  accusation  of  his  father  having  killed 
all  his  family,  had  any  truth  in  it;  but  he  replied  that  it  had 
not.  Logan,  he  said,  had  been  misinformed;  he  detailed  to 
me  all  the  particulars,  which  are  too  long  for  repetition,  and 
concluded  by  informing  me  that  his  father  died  early  in  the  re- 
volutionary war,  of  the  camp  fever,  near  New  York. 

"Marietta  stands  on  a  swampy  plain,  which  has  evidently  once 
been  the  ancient  bed  of  the  Muskingum,  and  is  still  occasion- 
ally inundated  to  the  depth  of  five  or  six  feet.  A  Mr.  Putnam, 
son  to  the  old  general  of  Bunker's  Hill  memory,  and  Mr.  Gill- 
man  and  Mr.  Fearing',  are  making  great  exertions  here,  in  in- 
troducing and  multiplying  the  race  of  merinos.  The  two  latter 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cxi 

gentlemen  are  about  establishing  works  by  steam,  for  carding 
and  spinning  wool,  and  intend  to  carry  on  the  manufacture  of 
broadcloth  extensively.  Mr.  Gillman  is  a  gentleman  of  taste 
and  wealth,  and  has  no  doubts  of  succeeding.  Something  is  ne- 
cessary to  give  animation  to  this  place,  for  since  the  building  of 
ships  has  been  abandoned  here,  the  place  seems  on  the  decline. 
"  The  current  of  the  Muskingum  is  very  rapid,  and  the  ferry 
boat  is  navigated  across  in  the  following  manner.  A  strong  ca- 
ble is  extended  from  bank  to  bank,  forty  or  fifty  feet  above  the 
surface  of  the  river,  and  fastened  tight  at  each  end.  On  this  ca- 
ble are  two  loose  running  blocks;  one  rope  from  the  bow  of  the 
boat  is  fastened  to  the  first  of  these  blocks,  and  another  from 
the  after  part  of  the  boat  to  the  second  block,  and  by  lengthen- 
ing this  last  a  diagonal  direction  is  given  to  the  boat's  head,  a 
little  up  stream,  and  the  current  striking  forcibly  and  obliquely 
on  her  aft,  she  is  hurried  forward  with  amazing  velocity  with- 
out any  manual  labour  whatever.  I  passetl  Blannerhasset's 
island  after  night,  but  the  people  were  burning  brush,  and  by 
the  light  I  had  a  distinct  view  of  the  mansion  house,  which  is 
but  a  plain  frame  of  no  great  dimensions.  It  is  now  the  pro- 
perty of  a  Mr.  Miller  from  Lexington,  who  intends  laying  it 
chiefly  in  hemp.  It  is  nearly  three  miles  long,  and  contains 
about  three  hundred  acres,  half  of  which  is  in  cultivation;  but 
like  all  the  rest  of  the  numerous  islands  of  the  Ohio,  is  subject 
to  inundations.  At  Galliopolis,  which  stands  upon  a  high  plain, 
and  contains  forty  or  fifty  scattered  houses,  I  found  the  fields 
well  fenced  and  well  cultivated,  peach  and  apple  orchards  nu- 
merous, and  a  considerable  appearance  of  industry.  One  half 
of  the  original  French  settlers  have  removed  to  a  tract  of  land 
opposite  to  the  mouth  of  Sandy  River.  This  town  has  one  shop 
and  two  taverns;  the  mountains  press  in  to  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  the  town.  I  found  here  another  Indian  mound  planted 
with  peach  trees.  On  Monday,  March  5th,  about  ten  miles 
below  the  mouth  of  the  great  Sciota,  where  I  saw  the  first  flock 
of  paroquets,  I  encountered  a  violent  storm  of  wind  and  rain, 
which  changed  to  hail  and  snow,  blowing  down  trees  and  limbs 


LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

in  all  directions;  so  that  for  immediate  preservation  I  was  oblig- 
ed to  steer  out  into  the  river,  which  rolled  and  foamed  like  a 
sea,  and  filled  my  boat  nearly  half  full  of  water;  and  it  was  with 
the  greatest  difficulty  I  could  make  the  least  headway.  It  con- 
tinued to  snow  violently  until  dusk,  when  I  at  length  made  good 
my  landing  at  a  place  on  the  Kentucky  shore,  where  I  had  per- 
ceived a  cabin;  and  here  I  spent  the  evening  in  learning  the  art 
and  mystery  of  bear-treeing,  wolf-trapping,  and  wild-cat  hunt- 
ing, from  an  old  professor.  But  notwithstanding  the  skill  of  this 
great  master,  the  country  here  is  swarming  with  wolves  and  wild- 
cats, black  and  brown;  according  to  this  hunter's  own  confes- 
sion he  had  lost  sixty  pigs  since  Christmas  last;  and  all  night 
long  the  distant  howling  of  the  wolves  kept  the  dogs  in  a  per- 
petual uproar  of  barking.  This  man  was  one  of  those  people 
called  squatters,  who  neither  pay  rent  nor  own  land,  but  keep 
roving  on  the  frontiers,  advancing  as  the  tide  of  civilized  po- 
pulation approaches.  They  are  the  immediate  successors  of 
the  savages,  and  far  below  them  in  good  sense  and  good  man- 
ners, as  well  as  comfortable  accommodations.  An  engraved 
representation  of  one  of  their  cabins  would  form  a  striking  em- 
bellishment to  the  pages  of  the  Port  Folio,  as  a  specimen  of 
the  first  order  of  American  Architecture. 

"  Nothing  adds  more  to  the  savage  grandeur,  and  picturesque 
effect,  of  the  scenery  along  the  Ohio,  than  these  miserable  huts 
of  human  beings,  lurking  at  the  bottom  of  a  gigantic  growth  of 
timber,  that  I  have  not  seen  equalled  in  any  other  part  of  the 
United  States.  And  it  is  truly  amusing  to  observe  how  dear 
and  how  familiar  habit  has  rendered  those  privations,  which 
must  have  been  first  the  offspring  of  necessity.  Yet  none  pride 
themselves  more  on  their  possessions.  The  inhabitants  of 
these  forlorn  sheds  will  talk  to  you  with  pride  of  the  richness 
of  their  soil,  of  the  excellence  and  abundance  of  their  country, 
of  the  healthiness  of  their  climate,  and  the  purity  of  their  wa- 
ters; while  the  only  bread  you  find  among  them  is  of  Indian 
corn,  coarsely  ground  in  a  horse-mill,  with  half  of  the  grains 
unbroken;  even  their  cattle  are  destitute  of  stables  and  hay, 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cxiii 

and  look  like  moving  skeletons;  their  own  houses  worse  than 
pig-sties;  their  clothes  an  assemblage  of  rags;  their  faces  yel- 
low, and  lank  with  disease;  and  their  persons  covered  with 
filth,  and  frequently  garnished  with  the  humours  of  the 
Scotch  fiddle;  from  which  dreadful  disease,  by  the  mercy 
of  God,  I  have  been  most  miraculously  preserved.  All  this  is 
the  effect  of  laziness.  The  corn  is  thrown  into  the  ground  in 
the  Spring,  and  the  pigs  turned  into  the  woods,  where  they 
multiply  like  rabbits.  The  labour  of  the  squatter  is  now  over 
till  Autumn,  and  he  spends  the  Winter  in  eating  pork,  cabbage 
and  hoe-cakes.  What  a  contrast  to  the  neat  farm,  and  snug 
cleanly  habitation,  of  the  industrious  settler,  that  opens  his 
green  fields,  his  stately  barns,  gardens  and  orchards,  to  the 
gladdened  eye  of  the  delighted  stranger! 

"  At  a  place  called  Salt  Lick  I  went  ashore  to  see  the  salt 
works,  and  to  learn  whether  the  people  had  found  any  further 
remains  of  an  animal  of  the  ox  kind,  one  of  whose  horns,  of  a 
prodigious  size,  was  discovered  here  some  years  ago,  and  is  in 
the  possession  of  Mr.  Peale.  They  make  here  about  one  thou- 
sand bushels  weekly,  which  sells  at  one  dollar  and  seventy- 
five  cents  per  bushel.  The  wells  are  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet 
deep,  but  nothing  curious  has  lately  been  dug  up.  I  landed  at 
Maysville,  or  Limestone,  where  a  considerable  deal  of  business 
is  done  in  importation  for  the  interior  of  Kentucky.  It  stands 
on  a  high  narrow  plain  between  the  mountains  and  the  river, 
which  is  fast  devouring  the  bank,  and  encroaching  on  the  town; 
part  of  the  front  street  is  gone  already,  and  unless  some  ef- 
fectual means  are  soon  taken,  the  whole  must  go  by  piecemeal. 
This  town  contains  about  one  hundred  houses,  chiefly  log  and 
frames.  From  this  place  I  set  out  on  foot  for  Washington. 
On  the  road,  at  the  height  of  several  hundred  feet  above  the 
present  surface  of  the  river,  I  found  prodigious  quantities  of 
petrified  shells,  of  the  small  cockle  and  fan-shaped  kind,  but 
whether  marine  remains  or  not  am  uncertain.  I  have  since 
found  these  petrified  concretions  of  shells  universal  all  over 
Kentucky,  wherever  I  have  been.  The  rocks  look  as  if  one 

VOL.  i. — p 


CXlV  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

had  collected  heaps  of  broken  shells,  and  wrought  them  up 
among  clay,  then  hardened  it  into  stone.  These  rocks  lie  uni- 
versally in  horizontal  strata.  A  farmer  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Washington  assured  me,  that  from  seven  acres  he  reaped  at 
once  eight  thousand  weight  of  excellent  hemp,  fit  for  market. 

"  Amidst  very  tempestuous  weather  I  reached  the  town  of 
Cincinnati,  which  does  honour  to  the  name  of  the  old  Roman, 
and  is  the  neatest  and  handsomest  situated  place  I  have  seen 
since  I  left  Philadelphia.  You  must  know  that  during  an  un- 
known series  of  ages,  the  river  Ohio  has  gradually  sunk  seve- 
ral hundred  feet  below  its  former  bed,  and  has  left  on  both 
sides,  occasionally,  what  are  called  the  first  or  nearest,  and  the 
second  or  next,  high  bank,  the  latter  of  which  is  never  over- 
flowed. 

"  The  town  of  Cincinnati  occupies  two  beautiful  plains,  one 
on  the  first,  and  the  other  on  the  second  bank,  and  contains  up- 
wards of  five  hundred  houses,  the  greater  proportion  of  which 
are  of  brick.  One  block  house  is  all  that  remains  of  Fort 
Washington.  The  river  Licking  comes  in  from  the  opposite 
shore,  where  the  town  of  Newport,  of  forty  or  fifty  houses, 
and  a  large  arsenal  and  barracks,  are  lately  erected.  Here  I 
met  with  judge  Turner,  a  man  of  extraordinary  talents,  well 
known  to  the  literati  of  Philadelphia.  He  exerted  himself  in 
my  behalf  with  all  the  ardour  of  an  old  friend.  A  large  Indian 
mound  in  the  vicinity  of  this  town  has  been  lately  opened  by 
Doctor  Drake,  who  showed  me  the  collection  of  curiosities 
which  he  had  found  in  that  and  others.  In  the  centre  of  this 
mound  he  also  found  a  large  fragment  of  earthen  ware,  such  as 
I  found  at  the  Big  Grave,  which  is  a  pretty  strong  proof  that 
these  works  had  been  erected  by  a  people,  if  not  the  same,  dif- 
fering little  from  the  present  race  of  Indians,  whose  fragments 
of  earthen  ware,  dug  up  about  their  late  towns,  correspond  ex- 
actly with  these.  Twenty  miles  below  this  I  passed  the  mouth 
of  the  Great  Miami,  which  rushes  in  from  the  north,  and  is  a 
large  and  stately  river,  preserving  its  pure  waters  uncontami- 
nated  for  many  miles  with  those  of  the  Ohio,  each  keeping 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  CXV 

their  respective  sides  of  the  channel.  I  rambled  up  the  hanks 
of  this  river  for  four  or  five  miles,  and  in  my  return  shot  a 
turkey.  I  also  saw  five  or  six  deer  in  a  drove,  but  they  were 
too  light-heeled  for  me. 

"  In  the  afternoon  of  the  15th  I  entered  Big-Bone  Creek, 
which  being  passable  only  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  I  secured 
my  boat,  and  left  my  baggage  under  the  care  of  a  decent  fami- 
ly near,  and  set  out  on  foot  five  miles  through  the  woods  for 
the  Big-Bone  Lick,  that  great  antediluvian  rendezvous  of  the 
American  elephants.  This  place,  which  lies  "  far  in  the  wind- 
ings of  a  sheltered  vale,"  afforded  me  a  fund  of  amusement  in 
shooting  ducks  and  paroquets,  (of  which  last  I  skinned  twelve, 
and  brought  off  two  slightly  wounded,)  and  in  examining  the  an- 
cient buffalo  roads  to  this  great  licking-place.  Mr.  Colquhoun, 
the  proprietor,  was  not  at  home,  but  his  agent  and  manager 
entertained  me  as  well  as  he  was  able,  and  was  much  amused 
with  my  enthusiasm.  This  place  is  a  low  valley,  everywhere 
surrounded  by  high  hills;  in  the  centre,  by  the  side  of  the 
creek,  is  a  quagmire  of  near  an  acre,  from  which,  and  another 
smaller  one  below,  the  chief  part  of  these  large  bones  have 
been  taken;  at  the  latter  places  I  found  numerous  fragments  of 
large  bones  lying  scattered  about.  In  pursuing  a  wounded 
duck  across  this  quagmire,  I  had  nearly  deposited  my  carcass 
among  the  grand  congregation  of  mammoths  below,  having 
sunk  up  to  the  middle,  and  had  hard  struggling  to  get  out.  As 
the  proprietor  intends  to  dig  in  various  places  this  season  for 
brine,  and  is  a  gentleman  of  education  and  intelligence,  I  have 
strong  hopes  that  a  more  complete  skeleton  of  that  animal  call- 
ed the  mammoth,  than  has  yet  been  found,  will  be  procured. 
I  laid  the  strongest  injunctions  on  the  manager  to  be  on  the 
look  out,  and  to  preserve  every  thing;  I  also  left  a  letter  for 
Mr.  Colquhoun  to  the  same  purport,  and  am  persuaded  that 
these  will  not  be  neglected.  In  this  neighbourhood  I  found 
the  Columbo  plant  in  great  abundance,  and  collected  some  of 
the  seeds.  Many  of  the  old  stalks  were  more  than  five  feet 
high.  I  have  since  found  it  in  various  other  parts  of  this  coun- 


cxvi  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

try.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day  I  returned  to  my  boat, 
replaced  my  baggage,  and  rowed  twenty  miles  to  the  Swiss 
settlement,  where  I  spent  the  night.  These  hardy  and  indus- 
trious people  have  now  twelve  acres  closely  and  cleanly  plant- 
ed with  vines  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  They  last  year 
made  seven  hundred  gallons  of  wine,  and  expect  to  make  three 
times  as  much  the  ensuing  season.  Their  houses  are  neat  and 
comfortable,  they  have  orchards  of  peach  and  apple  trees,  be- 
sides a  great  number  of  figs,  cherries,  and  other  fruit  trees,  of 
which  they  are  very  curious.  They  are  of  opinion  that  this 
part  of  the  Indiana  Territory  is  as  well  suited  as  any  part  of 
France  to  the  cultivation  of  the  vine,  but  the  vines  they  say 
require  different  management  here  from  what  they  were  ac- 
customed to  in  Switzerland.  I  purchased  a  bottle  of  their  last 
vintage,  and  drank  to  all  your  healths  as  long  as  it  lasted,  in 
going  down  the  river.  Seven  miles  below  this  I  passed  the 
mouth  of  Kentucky  river,  which  has  a  formidable  appearance. 
I  observed  twenty  or  thirty  scattered  houses  on  its  upper  side, 
and  a  few  below,  many  of  the  former  seemingly  in  a  state  of 
decay.  It  rained  on  me  almost  the  whole  of  this  day,  and  I 
was  obliged  to  row  hard  and  drink  healths  to  keep  myself  com- 
fortable. My  birds'  skins  were  wrapt  up  in  my  great  coat, 
and  my  own  skin  had  to  sustain  a  complete  drenching,  which, 
however,  had  no  bad  effects.  This  evening  I  lodged  at  the 
most  wretched  hovel  I  had  yet  seen.  The  owner,  a  meagre 
diminutive  wretch,  soon  began  to  let  me  know  of  how  much 
consequence  he  had  formerly  been;  that  he  had  gone  through 
all  the  war  with  general  Washington — had  become  one  of  his 
life-guards,  and  had  sent  many  a  British  soldier  to  his  long 
home.  As  I  answered  him  with  indifference,  to  interest  me 
the  more  he  began  to  detail  anecdotes  of  his  wonderful  exploits; 
"  One  grenadier,"  said  he,  "  had  the  impudence  to  get  up  on 
the  works,  and  to  wave  his  cap  in  defiance;  my  commander 
[general  Washington  I  suppose]  says  to  me,  "  Dick,  says  he, 
can't  you  pepper  that  there  fellow  for  me?"  says  he.  "  Please 
your  honour,  says  I,  I'll  try  at  it;  so  I  took  a  fair,  cool  and 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  CXvii 

steady  aim,  and  touched  my  trigger.  Up  went  his  heels  like 
a  turkey !  down  he  tumbled !  one  buckshot  had  entered  here, 
and  another  here,  [laying  a  finger  on  each  breast]  and  the  bul- 
let found  the  way  to  his  brains  right  through  his  forehead.  By 
God  he  was  a  noble  looking  fellow!"  Though  I  believed  every 
word  of  this  to  be  a  lie,  yet  I  could  not  but  look  with  disgust 
on  the  being  who  uttered  it.  This  same  miscreant  pronounced 
a  long  prayer  before  supper,  and  immediately  after  called  out, 
in  a  splutter  of  oaths,  for  the  pine  splinters  to  be  held  to  let 
the  gentleman  see.  Such  a  farrago  of  lies,  oaths,  prayers,  and 
politeness,  put  me  in  a  good  humour  in  spite  of  myself.  The 
whole  herd  of  this  filthy  kennel  were  in  perpetual  motion  with 
the  itch;  so  having  procured  a  large  fire  to  be  made,  under  pre- 
tence of  habit  I  sought  for  the  softest  plank,  placed  my  trunk 
and  great  coat  at  my  head,  and  stretched  myself  there  till  morn- 
ing. I  set  out  early  and  passed  several  arks.  A  number  of 
turkies  which  I  observed  from  time  to  time  on  the  Indiana 
shore,  made  me  lose  half  the  morning  in  search  of  them.  On 
the  Kentucky  shore  I  was  also  decoyed  by  the  same  tempta- 
tions, but  never  could  approach  near  enough  to  shoot  one  of 
them.  These  affairs  detained  me  so,  that  I  was  dubious  whether 
I  should  be  able  to  reach  Louisville  that  night.  Night  came 
on,  and  I  could  hear  nothing  of  the  Falls;  about  eight  I  first 
heard  the  roaring  of  the  Rapids,  and  as  it  increased  I  was  every 
moment  in  hopes  of  seeing  the  lights  of  Louisville;  but  no 
lights  appeared,  and  the  noise  seemed  now  within  less  than 
half  a  mile  of  me.  Seriously  alarmed,  lest  I  might  be  drawn 
into  the  suction  of  the  Falls,  I  cautiously  coasted  along  shore, 
which  was  full  of  snags  and  sawyers,  and  at  length,  with  great 
satisfaction,  opened  Bear-Grass  Creek,  where  I  secured  my 
skiff  to  a  Kentucky  boat,  and  loading  myself  with  my  bag- 
gage, I  groped  my  way  through  a  swamp  up  to  the  town. 
The  next  day  I  sold  my  skiff  for  exactly  half  what  it  cost  me; 
and  the  man  who  bought  it  wondered  why  I  gave  it  such  a 
droll  Indian  name,  (the  Ornithologist)  "  some  old  chief  or 
warrior  I  suppose,"  said  he.  This  day  I  walked  down  along 


CXViii  .  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

shore  to  Shippingport,  to  take  a  view  of  these  celebrated  Ra- 
pids, but  they  fell  far  short  of  my  expectation.  I  should  have 
no  hesitation  in  going  down  them  in  a  skiff.  The  Falls  of 
Oswego,  in  the  state  of  New  York,  though  on  a  smaller  scale, 
are  far  more  dangerous  and  formidable  in  appearance.  Though 
the  river  was  not  high,  I  observed  two  arks  and  a  barge  run 
them  with  great  ease  and  rapidity.  The  Ohio  here  is  some- 
thing more  than  a  mile  wide,  with  several  islands  interspersed; 
the  channel  rocky,  and  the  islands  heaped  with  drift  wood. 
The  whole  fall  in  two  miles  is  less  than  twenty-four  feet.  The 
town  of  Louisville  stands  on  a  high  second  bank,  and  is  about 
as  large  as  Frankford,  having  a  number  of  good  brick  build- 
ings and  valuable  shops.  The  situation  would  be  as  healthy  as 
any  on  the  river,  but  for  the  numerous  swamps  and  ponds  that 
intersect  the  woods  in  its  neighbourhood.  These  from  their 
height  above  the  river  might  all  be  drained  and  turned  into 
cultivation;  but  every  man  here  is  so  intent  on  the  immediate 
making  of  money,  that  they  have  neither  time  nor  disposition 
for  improvements,  even  where  the  article  health  is  at  stake. 
A  man  here  told  me  that  last  fall  he  had  fourteen  sick  in  his 
own  family.  On  Friday  the  24th,  I  left  my  baggage  with  a 
merchant  of  the  place  to  be  forwarded  by  the  first  wagon,  and 
set  out  on  foot  for  Lexington,  seventy-two  miles  distant.  I 
passed  through  Middletown  and  Shelby  ville,  both  inconsidera- 
ble places.  Nine-tenths  of  the  country  is  in  forest;  the  surface 
undulating  into  gentle  eminences  and  declivities,  between  each 
of  which  generally  runs  a  brook,  over  loose  flags  of  limestone. 
The  soil,  by  appearance,  is  of  the  richest  sort.  I  observed  im- 
mense fields  of  Indian  corn,  high  excellent  fences,  few  grain 
fields,  many  log  houses,  and  those  of  the  meaner  sort.  I  took 
notice  of  few  apple  orchards,  but  several  very  thriving  peach 
ones.  An  appearance  of  slovenliness  is  but  too  general  about 
their  houses,  barns,  and  barn-yards.  Negroes  are  numerous; 
cattle  and  horses  lean,  particularly  the  former,  who  appear  as  if 
struggling  with  starvation  for  their  existence.  The  woods  are 
swarming  with  pigs,  pigeons,  squirrels  and  woodpeckers.  The 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cxix 

pigs  are  universally  fat,  owing  to  the  great  quantity  of  mast 
this  year.  Walking  here  in  wet  weather  is  most  execrable, 
and  is  like  travelling  on  soft  soap ;  a  few  days  of  warm  weather 
hardens  this  again  almost  into  stone.  Want  of  bridges  is  the 
greatest  inconvenience  to  a  foot  traveller  here.  Between  Shel- 
byville  and  Frankfort,  having  gone  out  of  my  way  to  see  a 
pigeon  roost,  (which  by  the  by  is  the  greatest  curiosity  I  have 
seen  since  leaving  home)  I  waded  a  deep  creek  called  Benson, 
nine  or  ten  times.  I  spent  several  days  in  Frankfort,  and  in 
rambling  among  the  stupendous  cliffs  of  Kentucky  river.  On 
Thursday  evening  I  entered  Lexington.  But  I  cannot  do 
justice  to  these  subjects  at  the  conclusion  of  a  letter,  which,  in 
spite  of  all  my  abridgments,  has  far  exceeded  in  length  what  I 
first  intended.  My  next  will  be  from  Nashville.  I  shall  then 
have  seen  a  large  range  of  Kentucky,  and  be  more  able  to  give 
you  a  correct  delineation  of  the  country  and  its  inhabitants.  In 
descending  the  Ohio,  I  amused  myself  with  a  poetical  narrative 
of  my  expedition,  which  I  have  called  "  The  Pilgrim,"  an 
extract  from  which  shall  close  this  long  and  I  am  afraid  tire- 
some letter." 

TO  MR.   ALEXANDER  LAWSON. 

Nashville,  Tennessee,  April  28th,  1810. 
"  My  dear  Sir, 

"  Before  setting  out  on  my  journey  through  the  wilderness 
to  Natchez,  I  sit  down  to  give  you,  according  to  promise,  some 
account  of  Lexington,  and  of  my  adventures  through  the  state 
of  Kentucky.  These  I  shall  be  obliged  to  sketch  as  rapidly  as 
possible.  Neither  my  time  nor  my  situation  enables  me  to  de- 
tail particulars  with  any  degree  of  regularity;  and  you  must 
condescend  to  receive  them  in  the  same  random  manner  in 
which  they  occur,  altogether  destitute  of  fanciful  embellish- 
ment; with  nothing  but  their  novelty,  and  the  simplicity  of 
truth,  to  recommend  them. 

"  I  saw  nothing  of  Lexington  till  I  had  approached  within 
half  a  mile  of  the  place,  when  the  woods  opening,  I  beheld  the 


cxx  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

town  before  me,  on  an  irregular  plain,  ornamented  with  a  small 
white  spire,  and  consisting  of  several  parallel  streets,  crossed 
by  some  others;  many  of  the  houses  built  of  brick;  others  of 
frame,  neatly  painted;  but  a  great  proportion  wore  a  more 
humble  and  inferior  appearance.  The  fields  around  looked 
clean  and  well  fenced;  gently  undulating,  but  no  hills  in  view. 
In  a  hollow  between  two  of  these  parallel  streets,  ran  a  consi- 
derable brook,  that,  uniting  with  a  larger  a  little  below  the 
town,  drives  several  mills.  A  large  quarry  of  excellent  build- 
ing stone  also  attracted  my  notice  as  I  entered  the  town.  The 
main  street  was  paved  with  large  masses  from  this  quarry,  the 
foot  path  neat,  and  guarded  by  wooden  posts.  The  numerous 
shops  piled  with  goods,  and  the  many  well  dressed  females  I 
passed  in  the  streets;  the  sound  of  social  industry,  and  the  gay 
scenery  of  "  the  busy  haunts  of  men,"  had  a  most  exhilarating 
effect  on  my  spirits,  after  being  so  long  immured  in  the  forest. 
My  own  appearance,  I  believe,  was  to  many  equally  interest- 
ing; and  the  shopkeepers  and  other  loungers  interrogated  me 
with  their  eyes  as  I  passed,  with  symptoms  of  eager  and  inqui- 
sitive curiosity.  After  fixing  my  quarters,  disposing  of  my 
arms,  and  burnishing  myself  a  little,  I  walked  out  to  have  a 
more  particular  view  of  the  place. 

"  This  little  metropolis  of  the  western  country  is  nearly  as 
large  as  Lancaster  in  Pennsylvania.  In  the  centre  of  the  town 
is  a  public  square,  partly  occupied  by  the  court-house  and  mar- 
ket place,  and  distinguished  by  the  additional  ornament  of  the 
pillory  and  stocks.  The  former  of  these  is  so  constructed  as 
to  serve  well  enough,  if  need  be,  occasionally  for  a  gallows, 
which  is  not  a  bad  thought;  for  as  nothing  contributes  more  to 
make  hardened  villains  than  the  pillory,  so  nothing  so  effectu- 
ally rids  society  of  them  as  the  gallows;  and  every  knave  may 
here  exclaim, 

"  My  bane  and  antidote  are  both  before  me." 

I  peeped  into  the  court-house  as  I  passed,  and  though  it  was 
court  day,  I  was  struck  with  the  appearance  its  interior  exhi- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cxxi 

bited;  for,  though  only  a  plain  square  brick  building,  it  has  all 
the  gloom  of  the  Gothic,  so  much  admired  of  late,  by  our  mo- 
dern architects.  The  exterior  walls,  having,  on  experiment, 
been  found  too  feeble  for  the  superincumbent  honours  of  the 
roof  and  steeple,  it  was  found  necessary  to  erect,  from  the  floor, 
a  number  of  large,  circular,  and  unplastered  brick  pillars,  in  a 
new  order  of  architecture,  (the  thick  end  uppermost,)  which, 
while  they  serve  to  impress  the  spectators  with  the  perpetual 
dread  that  they  will  tumble  about  their  ears,  contribute  also, 
by  their  number  and  bulk,  to  shut  out  the  light,  and  to  spread 
around  a  reverential  gloom,  producing  a  melancholy  and  chill- 
ing effect;  a  very  good  disposition  of  mind,  certainly,  for  a 
man  to  enter  a  court  of  justice  in.  One  or  two  solitary  indivi- 
duals stole  along  the  damp  and  silent  floor;  and  I  could  just  de- 
scry, elevated  at  the  opposite  extremity  of  the  building,  the 
judges  sitting,  like  spiders  in  a  window  corner,  dimly  distin- 
guishable through  the  intermediate  gloom.  The  market  place, 
which  stands  a  little  to  the  westward  of  this,  and  stretches  over 
the  whole  breadth  of  the  square,  is  built  of  brick,  something 
like  that  of  Philadelphia,  but  is  unpaved  and  unfinished.  In 
wet  weather  you  sink  over  the  shoes  in  mud  at  every  step;  and 
here  again  the  wisdom  of  the  police  is  manifest;  as  nobody  at 
such  times  will  wade  in  there  unless  forced  by  business  or 
absolute  necessity;  by  which  means  a  great  number  of  idle 
loungers  are,  very  properly,  kept  out  of  the  way  of  the  market 
folks. 

"  I  shall  say  nothing  of  the  nature  or  quantity  of  the  commo- 
dities which  I  saw  exhibited  there  for  sale,  as  the  season  was 
unfavourable  to  a  display  of  their  productions;  otherwise  some- 
thing better  than  a  few  cakes  of  black  maple  sugar,  wrapt  up 
in  greasy  saddle-bags,  some  cabbage,  chewing  tobacco,  catmint 
and  turnip  tops,  a  few  bags  of  meal,  sassafras-roots,  and  skin- 
ned squirrels  cut  up  into  quarters — something  better  than  all 
this,  I  say,  in  the  proper  season,  certainly  covers  the  stalls  of 

VOL.  i. — o 


cxxii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

this  market  place,  in  the  metropolis  of  the  fertile  country  of 
Kentucky.  * 

*  This  letter,  it  should  seem,  gave  offence  to  some  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Lexington;  and  a  gentleman  residing  in  that  town,  solicitous  about  its  repu- 
tation, undertook,  in  a  letter  to  the  editor  of  the  Port  Folio,  to  vindicate  it 
from  strictures  which  he  plainly  insinuated  were  the  offspring  of  ignorance, 
and  unsupported  by  fact. 

After  a  feeble  attempt  at  sarcasm  and  irony,  the  letter-writer  thus 
proceeds:  "  I  have  too  great  a  respect  for  Mr.  Wilson,  as  your  friend,  not  to 
believe  he  had  in  mind  some  other  market  house  than  that  of  Lexington, 
when  he  speaks  of  it  as  *unpaved  and  unfinished!'  But  the  people  of  Lex- 
ington would  be  gratified  to  learn  what  your  ornithologist  means  by  *  skinned 
squirrels  cut  up  into  quarters,'  which  curious  anatomical  preparations  he  enu- 
merates among  the  articles  he  saw  in  the  Lexington  market.  Does  Mr.  Wil- 
son mean  to  joke  upon  us?  If  this  is  wit  we  must  confess  that,  however  abun- 
dant our  country  may  be  in  good  substantial  matter-of-fact  salt,  the  attic  tart 
is  unknown  among  us. 

"  I  hope,  howerer,  soon  to  see  this  gentleman's  American  Ornithology. 
Its  elegance  of  execution,  and  descriptive  propriety,  may  assuage  the  little 
pique  we  have  taken  from  the  author." 

The  editor  of  the  Port  Folio  having  transmitted  this  letter  to  Wilson,  pre- 
vious to  sending  it  to  press,  it  was  returned  with  the  following  note: 

"  TO  THE  EDITOU  OF  THE  POUT  FOLIO. 

Bartram's  Guldens,  July  16,  1811. 
"  Deal-  Sir, 

"  No  man  can  have  a  more  respectful  opinion  of  the  people  of  Kentucky, 
particularly  those  of  Lexington,  than  myself;  because  I  have  traversed  near- 
ly the  whole  extent  of  their  country,  and  witnessed  the  effects  of  their 
bravery,  their  active  industry,  and  daring  spirit  for  enterprise.  But  they 
would  be  gods,  and  not  men,  were  they/aw///ess. 

"  I  am  sony  that  truth  will  not  permit  me  to  retract,  as  mere  jofces,  the 
few  disagreeable  things  alluded  to.  I  certainly  had  no  other  market  place 
in  view,  than  that  of  Lexington,  in  the  passage  above  mentioned.  As  to  the 
circumstance  of  '  skinned  squirrels,  cut  up  into  quarters,'  which  seems  to 
have  excited  so  much  sensibility,  I  candidly  acknowledge  myself  to  have 
been  incorrect  in  that  statement,  and  I  owe  an  apology  for  the  same.  On 
referring  to  my  notes  taken  at  the  time,  I  find  the  word  *  halves,'  not  quar- 
ters; that  is,  those  *  curious  anatomical  preparations,'  (skinned  squirrels) 
were  brought  to  market  in  the  form  of  a  saddle  of  venison;  not  in  that  of  a 
leg  or  shoulder  of  mutton. 

"  With  this  correction,  I  beg  leave  to  assure  your  very  sensible  corres- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  CXxiii 

"  The  horses  of  Kentucky  are  the  hardiest  in  the  world,  not 
so  much  by  nature  as  by  education  and  habit.  From  the  com- 
mencement of  their  existence  they  are  habituated  to  every  ex- 
treme of  starvation  and  gluttony,  idleness  and  excessive  fatigue, 
In  Summer  they  fare  sumptuously  every  day.  In  Winter, 
when  not  a  blade  of  grass  is  to  be  seen,  and  when  the  cows 
have  deprived  them  of  the  very  bark  and  buds  of  every  fallen 
tree,  they  are  ridden  into  town,  fifteen  or  twenty  miles,  through 
roads  and  sloughs  that  would  become  the  graves  of  any  com- 
mon animal,  with  a  fury  and  celerity  incomprehensible  by  you 
folks  on  the  other  side  of  the  Alleghany.  They  are  there  fas- 
tened to  the  posts  on  the  sides  of  the  streets,  and  around  the 
public  square,  where  hundreds  of  them  may  be  seen,  on  a  court 
day,  hanging  their  heads  from  morning  to  night,  in  deep  cogi- 
tation, ruminating  perhaps  on  the  long  expected  return  of  spring 
and  green  herbage.  The  country  people,  to  their  credit  be  it 
spoken,  are  universally  clad  in  plain  homespun;  soap,  however, 
appears  to  be  a  scarce  article;  and  Hopkins's  double  cutters 
would  find  here  a  rich  harvest,  and  produce  a  very  improving 
effect.  Though  religion  here  has  its  zealous  votaries;  yet  none 
can  accuse  the  inhabitants  of  this  flourishing  place  of  bigotry, 
in  shutting  out  from  the  pale  of  the  church  or  church  yard  any 
human  being,  or  animal  whatever.  Some  of  these  sanctuaries 
are  open  at  all  hours,  and  to  every  visiter.  The  birds  of  heaven 
find  a  hundred  passages  through  the  broken  panes;  and  the 
cows  and  hogs  a  ready  access  on  all  sides.  The  wall  of  sepa- 
ration is  broken  down  between  the  living  and  the  dead;  and 
dogs  tug  at  the  carcass  of  the  horse,  on  the  grave  of  his  mas- 
ter. Lexington,  however,  with  all  its  faults,  which  a  few  years 
will  gradually  correct,  is  an  honourable  monument  of  the  en- 

pondent,  that  the  thing1  itself  was  no  joke,  nor  meant  for  one;  but,  like  all 
the  rest  of  the  particulars  of  that  sketch,  *  good  substantial  matter  of  fact.' 

*'  If  these  explanations,  or  the  perusal  of  my  American  Ornithology, 
should  assuage  the  '  little  pique*  in  the  minds  of  the  good  people  of  Lexing- 
ton, it  will  be  no  less  honourable  to  their  own  good  sense,  than  agreeable  to 
your  humble  servant."  &c.  Port  Folio  for  Jlvgwt,  181 1. 


cxxiv  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

terprise,  courage  and  industry  of  its  inhabitants.  Within  the 
memory  of  a  middle  aged  man,  who  gave  me  the  information, 
there  were  only  two  log  huts  on  the  spot  where  this  city  is 
now  erected;  while  the  surrounding  country  was  a  wilderness, 
rendered  hideous  by  skulking  bands  of  bloody  and  ferocious  In- 
dians. Now  numerous  excellent  institutions  for  the  education 
of  youth,  a  public  library,  and  a  well  endowed  university,  un- 
der the  superintendence  of  men  of  learning  and  piety,  are  in 
successful  operation.  Trade  and  manufactures  are  also  rapidly 
increasing.  Two  manufactories  for  spinning  cotton  have  lately 
been  erected;  one  for  woollen ;  several  extensive  ones  for  weav- 
ing sail  cloth  and  bagging;  and  seven  ropewalks,  which,  ac- 
cording to  one  of  the  proprietors,  export,  annually,  ropeyarn  to 
the  amount  of  150,000  dollars.  A  taste  for  neat,  and  even  ele- 
gant, buildings  is  fast  gaining  ground;  and  Lexington,  at  pre- 
sent, can  boast  of  men  who  do  honour  to  science,  and  of  fe- 
males whose  beauty  and  amiable  manners  would  grace  the  first 
circles  of  society.  On  Saturday,  April  14th,  I  left  this  place 
for  Nashville,  distant  about  200  miles.  I  passed  through  Ni- 
cholasville,  the  capital  of  Jessamine  county,  a  small  village  be- 
gun about  ten  years  ago,  consisting  of  about  twenty  houses, 
with  three  shops  and  four  taverns.  The  woods  were  scarcely 
beginning  to  look  green,  which  to  me  was  surprising,  having 
been  led  by  common  report  to  believe,  that  spring  here  is  much 
earlier  than  in  the  lower  parts  of  Pennsylvania.  I  must  further 
observe,  that  instead  of  finding  the  woods  of  Kentucky  covered 
with  a  profusion  of  flowers,  they  were,  at  this  time,  covered 
with  rotten  leaves  and  dead  timber,  in  every  stage  of  decay 
and  confusion;  and  I  could  see  no  difference  between  them  and 
our  own,  but  in  the  magnitude  of  the  timber,  and  superior  rich- 
ness of  the  soil.  Here  and  there  the  white  blossoms  of  the 
Sanguinaria  canadensis,  or  red  root,  were  peeping  through 
the  withered  leaves:  and  the  buds  of  the  buckeye,  or  horse 
chesnut,  and  one  or  two  more,  were  beginning  to  expand. 
Wherever  the  hackberry  had  fallen,  or  been  cut  down,  the  cat- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  CXXV 

tie  had  eaten  the  whole  bark  from  the  trunk,  even  to  that  of 
the  roots. 

"  Nineteen  miles  from  Lexington  I  descended  a  long,  steep 
and  rocky  declivity,  to  the  banks  of  Kentucky  river,  which  is 
here  about  as  wide  as  the  Schuylkill ;  and  winds  away  between 
prodigious  perpendicular  cliffs  of  solid  limestone.  In  this  deep 
and  romantic  valley  the  sound  of  the  boat  horns,  from  several 
Kentucky  arks,  which  were  at  that  instant  passing,  produced  a 
most  charming  effect.  The  river,  I  was  told,  had  already  fallen 
fifteen  feet;  but  was  still  high.  I  observed  great  numbers  of 
uncommon  plants  and  flowers,  growing  among  the  cliffs;  and 
a  few  solitary  bank  swallows  were  skimming  along  the  surface. 
Reascending  from  this,  and  travelling  for  a  few  miles,  I  again 
descended  a  vast  depth  to  another  stream  called  Dick's  river, 
engulfed  among  the  same  perpendicular  masses  of  rock. 
Though  it  was  nearly  dark  I  found  some  curious  petrifactions, 
and  some  beautiful  specimens  of  mother  of  pearl  on  the  shore. 
The  roaring  of  a  mill-dam,  and  the  rattling  of  the  mill,  pre- 
vented the  ferryman  from  hearing  me  till  it  was  quite  night; 
and  I  passed  the  rest  of  the  road  in  the  dark,  over  a  rocky 
country,  abounding  with  springs,  to  Danville.  This  place 
stands  on  a  slight  eminence,  and  contains  about  eighty  houses, 
chiefly  log  and  frame  buildings,  disposed  in  two  parallel  streets, 
crossed  by  several  others.  It  has  two  ropewalks  and  a  woollen 
manufactory;  also  nine  shops  and  three  taverns.  I  observed  a 
great  many  sheep  feeding  about  here,  amidst  fields  of  excellent 
pasture.  It  is,  however,  but  a  dull  place.  A  Roman  Catholic 
chapel  has  been  erected  here,  at  the  expense  of  one  or  two  in- 
dividuals. The  shopkeepers  trade  from  the  mouth  of  Dick's 
river  down  to  New  Orleans,  with  the  common  productions  of 
the  country,  flour,  hemp,  tobacco,  pork,  corn,  and  whiskey.  I 
was  now  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  from  Nashville,  and, 
as  I  was  informed,  not  a  town  or  village  on  the  whole  route. 
Every  day,  however,  was  producing  wonders  in  the  woods,  by 
the  progress  of  vegetation.  The  blossoms  of  the  sassafras,  dog- 
wood, and  red  bud,  contrasted  with  the  deep  green  of  the  pop- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

lar  and  buckeye,  enriched  the  scenery  on  every  side;  while 
the  voices  of  the  feathered  tribes,  many  of  which  were  to  me 
new  and  unknown,  were  continually  engaging  me  in  the  pur- 
suit. Emerging  from  the  deep  solitude  of  the  forest,  the  rich 
green  of  the  grain  fields,  the  farm  house  and  cabins  embosomed 
amidst  orchards  of  glowing  purple  and  white,  gave  the  sweet- 
est relief  to  the  eye.  Not  far  from  the  foot  of  a  high  moun- 
tain, called  Mulders  Hill,  I  overtook  one  of  those  family  cara- 
vans so  common  in  this  country,  moving  to  the  westward. 
The  procession  occupied  a  length  of  road,  and  had  a  formidable 
appearance,  though,  as  I  afterwards  understood,  it  was  com- 
posed of  the  individuals  of  only  a  single  family.  In  the  front 
went  a  wagon  drawn  by  four  horses,  driven  by  a  negro,  and 
filled  with  implements  of  agriculture;  another  heavy  loaded 
wagon,  with  six  horses,  followed,  attended  by  two  persons;  af- 
ter which  came  a  numerous  and  mingled  group  of  horses, 
steers,  cows,  sheep,  hogs,  and  calves  with  their  bells;  next  fol- 
lowed eight  boys  mounted  double,  also  a  negro  wench  with  a 
white  child  before  her;  then  the  mother  with  one  child  behind 
her,  and  another  at  the  breast;  ten  or  twelve  colts  brought  up 
the  rear,  now  and  then  picking  herbage,  and  trotting  ahead. 
The  father,  a  fresh  good  looking  man,  informed  me,  that  he 
was  from  Washington  county  in  Kentucky,  and  was  going  as 
far  as  Cumberland  river;  he  had  two  ropes  fixed  to  the  top  of 
the  wagon,  one  of  which  he  guided  himself,  and  the  other  was 
entrusted  to  his  eldest  son,  to  keep  it  from  oversetting  in  as- 
cending the  mountain.  The  singular  appearance  of  this  moving 
group,  the  mingled  music  of  the  bells,  and  the  shoutings  of  the 
drivers,  mixed  with  the  echoes  of  the  mountains,  joined  to  the 
picturesque  solitude  of  the  place,  and  various  reflections  that 
hurried  through  my  mind,  interested  me  greatly;  and  I  kept 
company  with  them  for  some  time,  to  lend  my  assistance  if  ne- 
cessary. The  country  now  became  mountainous,  perpetually 
ascending  and  descending;  and  about  forty-nine  miles  from 
Danville  I  passed  through  a  pigeon  roost,  or  rather  breeding 
place,  which  continued  for  three  miles,  and,  from  information 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  CXXVli 

extended  in  fength  for  more  than  forty  miles.  The  timber  was 
chiefly  beech;  every  tree  was  loaded  with  nests,  and  I  counted, 
in  different  places,  more  than  ninety  nests  on  a  single  tree. 
Beyond  this  I  passed  a  large  company  of  people  engaged  in 
erecting  a  horse-mill  for  grinding  grain.  The  few  cabins  I 
passed  were  generally  poor;  but  much  superior  in  appearance 
to  those  I  met  with  on  the  shores  of  the  Ohio.  In  the  evening 
I  lodged  near  the  banks  of  Green  river.  This  stream,  like  all 
the  rest,  is  sunk  in  a  deep  gulf,  between  high  perpendicular 
walls  of  limestone;  is  about  thirty  yards  wide  at  this  place,  and 
runs  with  great  rapidity;  but,  as  it  had  fallen  considerably,  I 
was  just  able  to  ford  it  without  swimming.  The  water  was  of 
a  pale  greenish  colour,  like  that  of  the  Licking,  and  some  other 
streams,  from  which  circumstance  I  suppose  it  has  its  name. 
The  rocky  banks  of  this  river  are  hollowed  out  in  many  places 
into  caves  of  enormous  size,  and  of  great  extent.  These  rocks 
abound  with  the  same  masses  of  petrified  shells  so  universal  in 
Kentucky.  In  the  woods,  a  little  beyond  this,  I  met  a  soldier, 
on  foot,  from  New  Orleans,  who  had  been  robbed  and  plunder- 
ed by  the  Choctaws  as  he  passed  through  their  nation.  "  Thir- 
teen or  fourteen  Indians,"  said  he,  "  surrounded  me  before  I 
was  aware,  cut  away  my  canteen,  tore  off  my  hat,  took  the 
handkerchief  from  my  neck,  and  the  shoes  from  my  feet,  and 
all  the  money  I  had  from  me,  which  was  about  forty-five  dol- 
lars." Such  was  his  story.  He  was  going  to  Chilicothe,  and 
seemed  pretty  nearly  done,  up.  In  the  afternoon  I  crossed  an- 
other stream  of  about  twenty-five  yards  in  width,  called  Little 
Barren;  after  which  the  country  began  to  assume  a  new  and 
very  singular  appearance.  The  woods,  which  had  hitherto 
been  stately,  now  degenerated  into  mere  scrubby  saplings,  on 
which  not  a  bud  was  beginning  to  unfold,  and  grew  so  open 
that  I  could  see  for  a  mile  through  them.  No  dead  timber  or 
rotting  leaves  were  to  be  seen,  but  the  whole  face  of  the  ground 
was  covered  with  rich  verdure,  interspersed  with  a  variety  of 
very  beautiful  flowers,  altogether  new  to  me.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  whole  country  had  once  been  one  general  level;  but  that 


LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

from  some  unknown  cause,  the  ground  had  been  undermined) 
and  had  fallen  in,  in  innumerable  places,  forming  regular, 
funnel-shaped,  concavities  of  all  dimensions,  from  twenty  feet 
in  diameter,  and  six  feet  in  depth,  to  five  hundred  by  fifty, 
the  surface  or  verdure  generally  unbroken.  In  some  tracts 
the  surface  was  entirely  destitute  of  trees,  and  the  eye  was  pre- 
sented with  nothing  but  one  general  neighbourhood  of  these 
concavities,  or,  as  they  are  usually  called,  sink-holes.  At  the 
centre,  or  bottom  of  some  of  these,  openings  had  been  made 
for  water.  In  several  places  these  holes  had  broken  in,  on  the 
sides,  and  even  middle  of  the  road,  to  an  unknown  depth;  pre- 
senting their  grim  mouths  as  if  to  ewallow  up  the  unwary  tra- 
veller. At  the  bottom  of  one  of  those  declivities,  at  least  fifty 
feet  below  the  general  level,  a  large  rivulet  of  pure  water  issu- 
ed at  once  from  the  mouth  of  a  cave  about  twelve  feet  wide 
and  seven  high.  A  number  of  very  singular  sweet  smelling 
lichens  grew  over  the  entrance,  and  a  pewee  had  fixed  her 
nest,  like  a  little  sentry-box,  on  a  projecting  shelf  of  the  rock 
above  the  water.  The  height  and  dimensions  of  the  cave  con- 
tinued the  same  as  far  as  I  waded  in,  which  might  be  thirty  or 
forty  yards,  but  the  darkness  became  so  great  that  I  was  forced 
to  return.  I  observed  numbers  of  small  fish  sporting  about, 
and  I  doubt  not  but  these  abound  even  in  its  utmost  subterra- 
nean recesses.  The  whole  of  this  country  from  Green  to  Red 
river,  is  hollowed  out  into  these  enormous  caves,  one  of  which, 
lately  discovered  in  Warren  county,  about  eight  miles  from 
the  Dripping  Spring,  has  been  explored  for  upwards  of  six 
miles,  extending  under  the  bed  of  the  Green  river.  The  en- 
trance to  these  caves  generally  commences  at  the  bottom  of  a 
sinkhole;  and  many  of  them  are  used  by  the  inhabitants  as  cel- 
lars or  spring-houses,  having  generally  a  spring  or  brook  of 
clear  water  running  through  them.  I  descended  into  one  of 
these  belonging  to  a  Mr.  Wood,  accompanied  by  the  proprie- 
tor, who  carried  the  light.  At  first  the  darkness  was  so  intense 
that  I  could  scarcely  see  a  few  feet  beyond  the  circumference 
of  the  candle;  but,  after  being  in  for  five  or  six  minutes,  the 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cxxix 

objects  around  me  began  to  make  their  appearance  more  dis- 
tinctly.    The  bottom,  for  fifteen  or  twenty  yards  at  first,  was 
so  irregular,  that  we  had  constantly  to  climb  over  large  masses 
of  wet  and  slippery  rocks;  the  roof  rose  in  many  places  to  the 
height  of  twenty  or  thirty  feet,  presenting  all  the  most  irregu- 
lar projections  of  surface,  and  hanging  in  gloomy  and  silent 
horror.    We  passed  numerous  chambers,  or  offsetts,  which  we 
did  not  explore;  and  after  three  hours  wandering  in  these  pro- 
found regions  of  glooms  and  silence,  the  particulars  of  which 
would  detain  me  too  long,  I  emerged  with  a  handkerchief  fill- 
ed with  bats,  including  one  which  I  have  never  seen  described; 
and  a  number  of  extraordinary  insects  of  the  Gryllus  tribe, 
with  antennae  upwards  of  six  inches  long,  and  which  I  am  per- 
suaded had  never  before  seen  the  light  of  day,  as  they  fled  from 
it  with  seeming  terror,  and  I  believe  were  as  blind  in  it  as 
their  companions  the  bats.     Great  quantities  of  native  glaubcr 
salts  are  found  in  these  caves,  and  are  used  by  the  country 
people  in  the  same  manner,  and  with  equal  effect,  as  those  of 
the  shops.     But  the  principal  production  is  saltpetre,  which  is 
procured  from  the   earth  in  great  abundance.     The  cave  in 
Warren  county  abovementioned,  has  lately  been  sold  for  three 
thousand  dollars,    to   a  saltpetre  company,   an  individual  of 
which  informed  me  that,  from  every  appearance,  this  cave  had 
been  known  to  the  Indians  many  ages  ago;  and  had  evidently 
been  used  for  the  same  purposes.     At  the  distance  of  more 
than  a  mile  from  the  entrance,   the  exploring  party,  on  their 
first  visit,  found  the  roof  blackened  by  smoke,  and  bundles  of 
half  burnt  canes   scattered  about.     A  bark  mockasin,  of  cu- 
rious construction,  besides  several  other  Indian  articles,  were 
found  among  the  rubbish.     The  earth,  also,  lay  piled  in  heaps, 
with  great  regularity,  as  if  in  preparation  for  extracting  the 
saltpetre. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  miserable  appearance  of  the  timber 
on  these  barrens,  the  soil,  to  my  astonishment,  produced  the 
most  luxuriant  fields  of  corn  and  wheat  I  had  ever  before  met 
with.  But  one  great  disadvantage  is  the  want  of  water,  for 

VOL    i. — R 


CXXX  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

the  whole  running  streams,  with  which  the  surface  of  this 
country  evidently  once  abounded,  have  been  drained  off  to  a 
great  depth,  and  now  murmur  among  these  lower  regions,  se- 
cluded from  the  day.  One  forenoon  I  rode  nineteen  miles 
without  seeing  water;  while  my  faithful  horse  looked  round, 
but  in  vain,  at  every  hollow,  with  a  wishful  and  languishing 
eye,  for  that  precious  element.  These  barrens  furnished  me 
with  excellent  sport  in  shooting  grous,  which  abound  here  in 
great  numbers;  and  in  the  delightful  groves  that  here  and  there 
rise  majestically  from  these  plains,  I  found  many  new  subjects 
for  my  Ornithology.  I  observed  all  this  day,  far  to  the  right, 
a  range  of  high  rocky  detached  hills,  or  knobs,  as  they  are 
called,  that  skirt  the  barrens,  as  if  they  had  been  once  the 
boundaries  of  the  great  lake  that  formerly  covered  this  vast 
plain.  These,  I  was  told,  abound  with  stone  coal  and  cop- 
peras. I  crossed  Big  Barren  river  in  a  ferry  boat,  where  it 
was  about  one  hundred  yards  wide;  and  passed  a  small  village 
called  Bowling  Green,  near  which  I  rode  my  horse  up  to  the 
summit  of  one  of  these  high  insulated  rocky  hills,  or  knobs, 
which  overlooked  an  immense  circumference  of  country, 
spreading  around  bare  and  leafless,  except  where  the  groves 
appeared,  in  which  there  is  usually  water.  Fifteen  miles  from 
this,  induced  by  the  novel  character  of  the  country,  I  put  up 
for  several  days,  at  the  house  of  a  pious  and  worthy  presbyte- 
rian,  whence  I  made  excursions,  in  all  directions,  through  the 
surrounding  country.  Between  this  and  Red  river  the  coun- 
try had  a  bare  and  desolate  appearance.  Caves  continued  to 
be  numerous;  and  report  made  some  of  them  places  of  conceal- 
ment for  the  dead  bodies  of  certain  strangers  who  had  disap- 
peared there.  One  of  these  lies  near  the  banks  of  the  Red  ri- 
ver, and  belongs  to  a  person  of  the  name  of ,  a  man 

of  notoriously  bad  character,  and  strongly  suspected,  even  by 
his  neighbours,  of  having  committed  a  foul  murder  of  this  kind, 
which  was  related  to  me  with  all  its  minutiae  of  horrors.  As 
this  man's  house  stands  by  the  road  side,  I  was  induced,  by 
motives  of  curiosity,  to  stop  and  take  a  peep  of  him.  On  my 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cxxxi 

arrival  I  found  two  persons  in  conversation  under  the  piazza, 
one  of  whom  informed  me  that  he  was  the  landlord.  He  was 
a  dark  mulatto,  rather  above  the  common  size,  inclining  to  cor- 
pulency, with  legs  small  in  proportion  to  his  size,  and  walked 
lame.  His  countenance  bespoke  a  soul  capable  of  deeds  of 
darkness.  I  had  not  been  three  minutes  in  company  when  he 
invited  the  other  man,  (who  I  understood  was  a  traveller)  and 
myself,  to  walk  back  and  see  his  cave,  to  which  I  immediately 
consented.  The  entrance  is  in  the  perpendicular  front  of  a 
rock,  behind  the  house;  has  a  door  with  a  lock  and  key  to  it, 
and  was  crowded  with  pots  of  milk,  placed  near  the  running 
stream.  The  roof  and  sides  of  solid  rock,  were  wet  and  drop- 
ping with  water.  Desiring to  walk  before  with  the 

lights,  I  followed  with  my  hand  on  my  pistol,  reconnoitering 
on  every  side,  and  listening  to  his  description  of  its  length  and 
extent.  After  examining  this  horrible  vault  for  forty  or  fifty 
yards,  he  declined  going  any  farther,  complaining  of  a  rheu- 
matism; and  I  now  first  perceived  that  the  other  person  had 
staid  behind,  and  that  we  two  were  alone  together.  Confident 
in  my  means  of  self-defence,  whatever  mischief  the  devil  might 
suggest  to  him,  I  fixed  my  eye  steadily  on  his,  and  observed 
to  him,  that  he  could  not  be  ignorant  of  the  reports  circulated 
about  the  country  relative  to  this  cave.  "  I  suppose,"  said  I, 
i <  you  know  what  I  mean?"  "  Yes,  I  understand  you,"  return- 
ed he,  without  appearing  the  least  embarrassed,  "  that  I  killed 
somebody  and  threw  them  into  this  cave — I  can  tell  you  the 
whole  beginning  of  that  damned  lie,"  said  he;  and,  without 
moving  from  the  spot,  he  detailed  to  me  a  long  story,  which 
would  fill  half  my  letter,  to  little  purpose,  and  which,  with 
other  particulars,  I  shall  reserve  for  your  amusement  when  we 
meet.  I  asked  him  why  he  did  not  get  the  cave  examined  by 
three  or  four  reputable  neighbours,  whose  report  might  rescue 
his  character  from  the  suspicion  of  having  committed  so  horrid 
a  crime.  He  acknowledged  it  would  be  well  enough  to  do  so; 
but  did  not  seem  to  think  it  worth  the  trouble;  and  we  return- 
ed as  we  advanced,  • —  walking  before  with  the  lights, 


cxxxii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

Whether  this  man  be  guilty  or  not  of  the  transaction  laid  to  his 
charge  I  know  not;  but  his  manners  and  aspect  are  such  as  by 
no  means  to  allay  suspicion. 

"  After  crossing  Red  river,  which  is  here  scarce  twenty 
yards  broad,  I  found  no  more  barrens.  The  timber  was  large, 
and  the  woods  fast  thickening  with  green  leaves.  As  I  enter- 
ed the  state  of  Tennessee,  the  face  of  the  country  became  hilly, 
and  even  mountainous.  After  descending  an  immense  decli- 
vity, and  coursing  along  the  rich  valley  of  Manskers  creek, 
where  I  again  met  with  large  flocks  of  paroquets,  I  stopt  at  a 
small  tavern,  to  examine,  for  three  or  four  days,  this  part  of 
the  country.  Here  I  made  some  interesting  additions  to  my 
stock  of  new  subjects  for  the  Ornithology.  On  the  fourth  day 
I  crossed  the  Cumberland,  where  it  is  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  wide,  and  of  great  depth,  bounded  as  usual  with 
High  precipitous  banks,  and  reached  the  town  of  Nashville, 
which  towers  like  a  fortress  above  the  river.  Here  I  have 
been  busily  employed  these  eight  days;  and  send  you  the  en- 
closed parcel  of  drawings,  the  result  of  every  moment  of  leisure 
and  convenience  I  could  obtain.  Many  of  the  birds  are  alto- 
gether new;  and  you  will  find  along  with  them  every  explana- 
tion necessary  for  your  purpose. 

"  You  may  rest  assured  of  hearing  from  me  by  the  first  op- 
portunity after  my  arrival  at  Natchez.  In  the  meantime  I  re- 
ceive with  much  pleasure  the  accounts  you  give  me  of  the  kind 
inquiries  of  my  friends.  To  me  nothing  could  be  more  wel- 
come; for  whether  journeying  in  this  world,  or  journeying  to 
that  which  is  to  come,  there  is  something  of  desolation  and 
despair  in  the  idea  of  being  forever  forgotten  in  our  absence, 
by  those  whom  we  sincerely  esteem  and  regard." 

TO  MR.  ALEXANDER  LAWSON. 

Natchez,  Mississippi  Territory,  May  18M,  1810. 
"  Dear  Sir, 

"  About  three  weeks  ago  I  wrote  to  you  from  Nashville 
enclosing;  three  sheets  of  drawings,  which  I  hope  you  have  re- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cxxxiii 

ceived.*  I  was  at  that  time  on  the  point  of  setting  out  for  St. 
Louis;  but  being  detained  a  week  by  constant  and  heavy  rains, 
and  considering  that  it  would  add  four  hundred  miles  to  my 
journey,  and  detain  me  at  least  a  month;  and  the  season  being 
already  far  advanced,  and  no  subscribers  to  be  expected  there, 
I  abandoned  the  idea,  and  prepared  for  a  journey  through  the 
wilderness.  I  was  advised  by  many  not  to  attempt  it  alone; 
that  the  Indians  were  dangerous,  the  swamps  and  rivers  almost 
impassable  without  assistance,  and  a  thousand  other  hobgoblins 
were  conjured  up  to  dissuade  me  from  going  alone.  But  I 
weighed  all  these  matters  in  my  own  mind;  and  attributing  a 
great  deal  of  this  to  vulgar  fears  and  exaggerated  reports,  I 
equipt  myself  for  the  attempt.  I  rode  an  excellent  horse,  on 
which  I  could  depend;  I  had  a  loaded  pistol  in  each  pocket,  a 
loaded  fowling  piece  belted  across  my  shoulder,  a  pound  of 
gunpowder  in  my  flask,  and  five  pounds  of  shot  in  my  belt.  I 
bought  some  biscuit  and  dried  beef,  and  on  Friday  morning, 
May  4th,  I  left  Nashville.  About  half  a  mile  from  town  I  ob- 
served a  poor  negro  with  two  wooden  legs,  building  himself  a 
cabin  in  the  woods.  Supposing  that  this  journey  might  afford 
you  and  my  friends  some  amusement,  I  kept  a  particular  ac- 
count of  the  various  occurrences,  and  shall  transcribe  some  of 
the  most  interesting,  omitting  every  thing  relative  to  my  Or- 
nithological excursions  and  discoveries,  as  more  suitable  for 
another  occasion.  Eleven  miles  from  Nashville  I  came  to  the 
Great  Harpath,  a  stream  of  about  fifty  yards  wide,  which  was 
running  with  great  violence.  I  could  not  discover  the  en- 
trance of  the  ford,  owing  to  the  rains  and  inundations.  There 
was  no  time  to  be  lost,  I  plunged  in,  and  almost  immediately 
my  horse  was  swimming.  I  set  his  head  aslant  the  current, 
and  being  strong,  he  soon  landed  me  on  the  other  side.  As 
the  weather  was  warm,  I  rode  in  my  wet  clothes  without  any 
inconvenience.  The  country  to-day  was  a  perpetual  succes- 
sion of  steep  hills  and  low  bottoms;  I  crossed  ten  or  twelve 
large  creeks,  one  of  which  I  swam  with  my  horse,  where  he 
*  These  drawing's  never  came  to  hand. 


CXXxiv  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

was  near  being  entangled  among  some  bad  drift  wood.  Now 
and  then  a  solitary  farm  opened  from  the  woods,  where  the 
negro  children  were  running  naked  about  the  yards.  I  also 
passed  along  the  north  side  of  a  high  hill,  where  the  whole 
timber  had  been  prostrated  by  some  terrible  hurricane.  I 
lodged  this  night  in  a  miner's,  who  told  me  he  had  been  engaged 
in  forming  no  less  than  thirteen  companies  for  hunting  mines, 
all  of  whom  had  left  him.  I  advised  him  to  follow  his  farm, 
as  the  surest  vein  of  ore  he  could  work.  Next  day  (Saturday) 
I  first  observed  the  cane  growing,  which  increased  until  the 
whole  woods  were  full  of  it.  The  road  this  day  winded  along 
the  high  ridges  of  mountains  that  divide  the  waters  of  the  Cum- 
berland from  those  of  the  Tennessee.  I  passed  few  houses  to- 
day; but  met  several  parties  of  boatmen  returning  from  Natchez 
and  New  Orleans;  who  gave  me  such  an  account  of  the  road, 
and  the  difficulties  they  had  met  with,  as  served  to  stiffen  my 
resolution  to  be  prepared  for  every  thing.  These  men  were 
as  dirty  as  Hottentots;  their  dress  a  shirt  and  trowsers  of  can- 
vass, black,  greasy,  and  sometimes  in  tatters;  the  skin  burnt 
wherever  exposed  to  the  sun;  each  with  a  budget,  wrapt  up  in 
an  old  blanket;  their  beards,  eighteen  days  old,  added  to  the 
singularity  of  their  appearance,  which  was  altogether  savage. 
These  people  came  from  the  various  tributary  streams  of  the 
Ohio,  hired  at  forty  or  fifty  dollars  a  trip,  to  return  balk  on 
their  own  expenses.  Some  had  upwards  of  eight  hundred 
miles  to  travel.  When  they  come  to  a  stream  that  is  unforda- 
ble,  they  coast  it  for  a  fallen  tree:  if  that  cannot  be  had,  they 
enter  with  their  budget  on  their  head,  and  when  they  lose 
bottom,  drop  it  on  their  shoulders,  and  take  to  swimming. 
They  have  sometimes  fourteen  or  fifteen  of  such  streams  to 
pass  in  a  day,  and  morasses  of  several  miles  in  length,  that  I 
have  never  seen  equalled  in  any  country.  I  lodged  this  night 
at  one  Dobbins's,  where  ten  or  twelve  of  these  men  lay  on  the 
floor.  As  they  scrambled  up  in  the  morning,  they  very  gene- 
rally complained  of  being  unwell,  for  which  they  gave  an  odd 
reason,  lying  within  doors,  it  being  the  first  of  fifteen  nights 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  CXXXV 

they  had  been  so  indulged.  Next  morning  (Sunday)  I  rode 
six  miles  to  a  man's,  of  the  name  of  Grinder,  where  our  poor 
friend  Lewis  perished.  *  In  the  same  room  where  he  expired, 
I  took  down  from  Mrs.  Grinder  the  particulars  of  that  melan- 
choly event,  which  affected  me  extremely.  This  house  or  ca- 
bin is  seventy-two  miles  from  Nashville,  and  is  the  last  white 
man's  as  you  enter  the  Indian  country.  Governor  Lewis,  she 
said,  came  hither  about  sunset,  alone,  and  inquired  if  he  could 
stay  for  the  night;  and,  alighting,  brought  his  saddle  into  the 
house.  He  was  dressed  in  a  loose  gown,  white,  striped  with 
blue.  On  being  asked  if  he  came  alone,  he  replied  that  there 
were  two  servants  behind,  who  would  soon  be  up.  He  called 
for  some  spirits,  and  drank  a  very  little.  When  the  servants 
arrived,  one  of  whom  was  a  negro,  he  inquired  for  his  powder, 
saying  he  was  sure  he  had  some  powder  in  a  canister.  The 
servant  gave  no  distinct  reply,  and  Lewis,  in  the  mean  while, 
walked  backwards  and  forwards  before  the  door,  talking  to  him- 
self. Sometimes,  she  said,  he  would  seem  as  if  he  were  walk- 
ing up  to  her;  and  would  suddenly  wheel  round,  and  walk 
back  as  fast  as  ho  could.  Supper  being  ready  he  sat  down, 
but  had  eaten  only  a  few  mouthfuls  when  he  started  up,  speak- 
ing to  himself  in  a  violent  manner.  At  these  times,  she  says, 
she  observed  his  face  to  flush  as  if  it  had  come  on  him  in  a  fit. 
He  lighted  his  pipe,  and  drawing  a  chair  to  the  door  sat  down, 
saying  to  Mrs.  Grinder,  in  a  kind  tone  of  voice,  "  Madam, 
this  is  a  very  pleasant  evening."  He  smoked  for  some  time, 
but  quitted  his  seat  and  traversed  the  yard  as  before.  He 
again  sat  down  to  his  pipe,  seemed  again  composed,  and  cast- 
ing his  eyes  wistfully  towards  the  west,  observed  what  a  sweet 
evening  it  was.  Mrs.  Grinder  was  preparing  a  bed  for  him; 

*  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  state,  that  this  was  the  brave  and  enterprising 
traveller,  whose  journey  across  the  Rocky  Mountains,  to  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
has  obtained  for  him  well-merited  celebrity.  The  true  cause  of  his  commit- 
ting the  rash  deed,  so  feelingly  detailed  above,  is  not  yet  known  to  the  pub- 
lic; but  his  friends  will  not  soon  forget  the  base  imputations  and  cruel  neglect, 
which  the  honourable  mind  of  the  gallant  soldier  knew  not  how  to  brook. 


CXXXvi  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

but  he  said  he  would  sleep  on  the  floor,  and  desired  the  ser- 
vant to  bring  the  bear  skins  and  buffalo  robe,  which  were  im- 
mediately spread  out  for  him;  and  it  being  now  dusk  the  wo- 
man went  off  to  the  kitchen,  and  the  two  men  to  the  barn, 
which  stands  about  two  hundred  yards  off.  The  kitchen  is 
only  a  few  paces  from  the  room  where  Lewis  was,  and  the  wo- 
man being  considerably  alarmed  by  the  behaviour  of  her  guest 
could  not  sleep,  but  listened  to  him  walking  backwards  and 
forwards,  she  thinks,  for  several  hours,  and  talking  aloud,  as 
she  said,  "  like  a  lawyer."  She  then  heard  the  report  of  a 
pistol,  and  something  fall  heavily  on  the  floor,  and  the  words 
"  O  Lord/"  Immediately  afterwards  she  heard  another  pistol, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  she  heard  him  at  her  door  calling  out 
"  O  madam!  give  me  some  water,  and  heal  my  wounds.'' 
The  logs  being  open,  and  unplastered,.  she  saw  him  stagger 
back  and  fall  against  a  stump  that  stands  between  the  kitchen 
and  room.  He  crawled  for  some  distance,  and  raised  himself  by 
the  side  of  a  tree,  where  he  sat  about  a  minute.  He  once  more 
got  to  the  room;  afterwards  he  came  to  the  kitchen  door,  but 
did  not  speak;  she  then  heard  him  scraping  the  bucket  with  a 
gourd  for  water;  but  it  appears  that  this  cooling  element  was 
denied  the  dying  man!  As  soon  as  day  broke  and  not  before, 
the  terror  of  the  woman  having  permitted  him  to  remain  for 
two  hours  in  this  most  deplorable  situation,  she  sent  two  of  her 
children  to  the  barn,  her  husband  not  being  at  home,  to  bring 
the  servants;  and  on  going  in  they  found  him  lying  on  the  bed; 
he  uncovered  his  side,  and  showed  them  where  the  bullet  had 
entered;  a  piece  of  the  forehead  was  blown  off,  and  had  ex- 
posed the  brains,  without  having  bled  much.  He  begged  they 
would  take  his  rifle  and  blow  out  his  brains,  and  he  would 
give  them  all  the  money  he  had  in  his  trunk.  He  often  said, 
"  I  am  no  coward;  but  I  am  so  strong,  so  hard  to  die."  He 
begged  the  servant  not  to  be  afraid  of  him,  for  that  he  would 
not  hurt  him.  He  expired  in  about  two  hours,  or  just  as  the 
sun  rose  above  the  trees.  He  lies  buried  close  by  the  common 
path,  with  a  few  loose  rails  thrown  over  his  grave.  I  gave 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  CXXXvii 

Grinder  money  to  put  a  post  fence  round  it,  to  shelter  it  from 
the  hogs,  and  from  the  wolves;  and  he  gave  me  his  written 
promise  he  would  do  it.  I  left  this  place  in  a  very  melancholy 
mood,  which  was  not  much  allayed  by  the  prospect  of  the 

gloomy  and  savage  wilderness  which  I  was  just  entering  alone. 

*  *  *  •* 

"  I  was  roused  from  this  melancholy  reverie  by  the  roaring 
of  Buffalo  river,  which  I  forded  with  considerable  difficulty. 
I  passed  two  or  three  solitary  Indian  huts  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  with  a  few  acres  of  open  land  at  each;  but  so  wretchedly 
cultivated,  that  they  just  make  out  to  raise  maize  enough  to 
keep  in  existence.  They  pointed  me  out  the  distances  by 
holding  up  their  fingers.  This  is  the  country  of  the  Chicka- 
saws,  though  erroneously  laid  down  in  some  maps  as  that  of 
the  Cherokees.  I  slept  this  night  in  one  of  their  huts;  the  In- 
dians spread  a  deer  skin  for  me  on  the  floor,  I  made  a  pillow 
of  my  portmanteau,  and  slept  tolerably  well;  an  old  Indian 
laid  himself  down  near  me.  On  Monday  morning  I  rode  fif- 
teen miles,  and  stopt  at  an  Indian's  to  feed  my  horse.  The 
sight  of  my  paroquet  brought  the  whole  family  around  me. 
The  women  are  generally  naked  from  the  middle  upwards; 
and  their  heads,  in  many  instances,  being  rarely  combed,  look 
like  a  large  mop;  they  have  a  yard  or  two  of  blue  cloth  wrapt 
round  by  way  of  petticoat,  that  reaches  to  their  knees — the 
boys  were  generally  naked;  except  a  kind  of  bag  of  blue  cloth, 
by  way  of  jig-leaf.  Some  of  the  women  have  a  short  jacket, 
with  sleeves,  drawn  over  their  naked  body,  and  the  rag  of  a 
blanket  is  a  general  appendage.  I  met  to-day  two  officers  of 
the  United  States  army,  who  gave  me  a  better  account  of  the 
road  than  I  had  received.  I  passed  through  many  bad  swamps 
to-day;  and  at  about  five  in  the  evening  came  to  the  banks  of 
the  Tennessee,  which  was  swelled  by  the  rains,  and  is  about 
half  a  mile  wide  thirty  miles  below  the  Muscle  shoals,  and  just 
below  a  long  island  laid  down  in  your  small  map.  A  growth 
of  canes,  of  twenty  and  thirty  feet  high,  covers  the  low  bot- 
toms; and  these  cane  swamps  are  the  gloomiest  and  most  deso- 
VOL.  i. — s 


CXXXViii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

late  looking  places  imaginable.  I  hailed  for  the  boat  as  long 
as  it  was  light,  without  effect;  I  then  sought  out  a  place  to  en- 
camp, kindled  a  large  fire,  stript  the  canes  for  my  horse,  eat  a 
bit  of  supper,  and  lay  down  to  sleep;  listening  to  the  owls,  and 
the  Chuck-Wills-Widow,  a  kind  of  Whip-poor-Will,  that  is 
very  numerous  here.  I  got  up  several  times  during  the  night 
to  recruit  my  fire,  and  see  how  my  horse  did;  and,  but  for  the 
gnats,  would  have  slept  tolerably  well.  These  gigantic  woods 
have  a  singular  effect  by  the  light  of  a  large  fire;  the  whole 
scene  being  circumscribed  by  impenetrable  darkness,  except 
that  in  front,  where  every  leaf  is  strongly  defined,  and  deeply 
shaded.  In  the  morning  I  hunted  until  about  six,  when  I 
again  renewed  my  shoutings  for  the  boat,  and  it  was  not  until 
near  eleven  that  it  made  its  appearance.  I  was  so  enraged  at 
this  delay,  that,  had  I  not  been  cumbered  with  baggage,  I  be- 
lieve I  should  have  ventured  to  swim  the  river.  I  vented  my 
indignation  on  the  owner  of  the  boat,  who  is  a  half-breed, 
threatening  to  publish  him  in  the  papers,  and  advise  every  tra- 
veller I  met  to  take  the  upper-ferry.  This  man  charges 
one  dollar  for  man  and  horse,  and  thinks,  because  he  is  a  chief, 
he  may  do  in  this  way  what  he  pleases.  The  country  now  as- 
sumed a  new  appearance;  no  brushwood — no  fallen  or  rotten 
timber;  one  could  see  a  mile  through  the  woods,  which  were 
covered  with  high  grass  fit  for  mowing.  These  woods  are 
burnt  every  spring,  and  thus  are  kept  so  remarkably  clean, 
that  they  look  like  the  most  elegant  noblemen's  parks.  A  pro- 
fusion of  flowers,  altogether  new  to  me,  and  some  of  them  very 
elegant,  presented  themselves  to  my  view  as  I  rode  along. 
This  must  be  a  heavenly  place  for  the  botanist.  The  most  ob- 
servable of  these  flowers  was  a  kind  of  Sweet  William,  of  all 
tints,  from  white,  to  the  deepest  crimson.  A  superb  Thistle, 
the  most  beautiful  I  had  ever  seen.  A  species  of  Passion  flow- 
er, very  beautiful.  A  stately  plant  of  the  Sunflower  family — 
the  button  of  the  deepest  orange,  and  the  radiating  petals  bright 
carmine,  the  breadth  of  the  flower  about  four  inches.  A  large 
white  flower  like  a  deer's  tail.  Great  quantities  of  the  Sensi- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  CXXxix 

tive  plant,  that  shrunk  instantly  on  being  touched,  covered  the 
ground  in  some  places.  Almost  every  flower  was  new  to  me, 
except  the  Carolina  Pink-root,  and  Columbo,  which  grew  in 
abundance  on  every  side.  At  Bear  creek,  which  is  a  large 
and  rapid  stream,  I  first  observed  the  Indian  boys  with  their 
blow-guns.  These  are  tubes  of  cane  seven  feet  long,  and  per- 
fectly straight,  when  well  made.  The  arrows  are  made  of 
slender  slips  of  cane,  twisted,  and  straightened  before  the  fire, 
and  covered  for  several  inches  at  one  end  with  the  down  of 
thistles,  in  a  spiral  form,  so  as  just  to  enter  the  tube.  By  a 
puif  they  can  send  these  with  such  violence  as  to  enter  the  body 
of  a  partridge,  twenty  yards  off.  I  set  several  of  them  a  hunt- 
ing birds  by  promises  of  reward,  but  not  one  of  them  could 
succeed.  I  also  tried  some  of  the  blow-guns  myself,  but  found 
them  generally  defective  in  straightness.  I  met  six  parties  of 
boatmen  to-day,  and  many  straggling  Indians,  and  encamped 
about  sunset  near  a  small  brook,  where  I  shot  a  turkey,  and 
on  returning  to  my  fire  found  four  boatmen,  who  stayed  with 
me  all  night,  and  helped  to  pick  the  bones  of  the  turkey.  In 
the  morning  I  heard  the  turkies  gobbling  all  round  me,  but 
not  wishing  to  leave  my  horse,  having  no  great  faith  in  my 
guests'  honesty,  I  proceeded  on  my  journey.  This  day 
(Wednesday)  I  passed  through  the  most  horrid  swamps  I  had 
ever  seen.  These  are  covered  with  a  prodigious  growth  of 
canes,  and  high  woods,  which  together,  shut  out  almost  the 
whole  light  of  day  for  miles.  The  banks  of  the  deep  and  slug- 
gish creeks,  that  occupy  the  centre,  are  precipitous,  where  I 
had  often  to  plunge  my  horse  seven  feet  down,  into  a  bed  of 
deep  clay  up  to  his  belly;  from  which  nothing  but  great 
strength  and  exertion  could  have  rescued  him;  the  opposite 
shore  was  equally  bad,  and  beggars  all  description.  For  an 
extent  of  several  miles,  on  both  sides  of  these  creeks,  the  dark- 
ness of  night  obscures  every  object  around.  On  emerging 
from  one  of  the  worst  of  these,  I  met  General  Wade  Hampton, 
with  two  servants,  and  a  pack-horse,  going,  as  he  said,  towards 
Nashville.  I  told  him  of  the  mud  campaign  immediately  be- 


cxl  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

fore  him;  I  was  covered  with  mire  and  wet,  and  I  thought  he 
looked  somewhat  serious  at  the  difficulties  he  was  about  to  en- 
gage. He  has  been  very  sick  lately.  About  half  an  hour  be- 
fore sunset,  being  within  sight  of  the  Indian's  where  I  intended 
to  lodge,  the  evening  being  perfectly  clear  and  calm,  I  laid  the 
reins  on  my  horse's  neck,  to  listen  to  a  Mocking-bird,  the 
first  I  had  heard  in  the  Western  country,  which,  perched  on 
the  top  of  a  dead  tree  before  the  door,  was  pouring  out  a  tor- 
rent of  melody.  I  think  I  never  heard  so  excellent  a  performer. 
I  had  alighted,  and  was  fastening  my  horse,  when  hearing  the 
report  of  a  rifle  immediately  beside  me,  I  looked  up  and  saw 
the  poor  Mocking-bird  fluttering  to  the  ground.  One  of  the 
savages  had  marked  his  elevation,  and  barbarously  shot  him. 
I  hastened  over  into  the  yard,  and  walking  up  to  him,  told 
him  that  was  bad,  very  bad !  That  this  poor  bird  had  come 
from  a  far  distant  country  to  sing  to  him,  and  that  in  return  he 
had  cruelly  killed  him.  I  told  him  the  Great  Spirit  was  of- 
fended at  such  cruelty,  and  that  he  would  lose  many  a  deer  for 
doing  so.  The  old  Indian,  father-in-law  to  the  bird-killer,  un- 
derstanding by  the  negro  interpreter  what  I  said,  replied,  that 
when  these  birds  come  singing  and  making  a  noise  all  day 
near  the  house,  somebody  will  surely  die — which  is  exactly 
what  an  old  superstitious  German,  near  Hampton  in  Virginia, 
once  told  me.  This  fellow  had  married  the  two  eldest  daugh- 
ters of  the  old  Indian,  and  presented  one  of  them  with  the  bird 
he  had  killed.  The  next  day  I  passed  through  the  Chickasaw 
Big-town,  which  stands  on  the  high  open  plain,  that  extends 
through  their  country,  three  or  four  miles  in  breadth,  by  fif- 
teen in  length.  Here  and  there  you  perceive  little  groups  of 
miserable  huts,  formed  of  saplings,  and  plastered  with  mud  and 
clay;  about  these  are  generally  a  few  peach  and  plum  trees. 
Many  ruins  of  others  stand  scattered  about,  and  I  question 
whether  there  were  twenty  inhabited  huts  within  the  whole 
range  of  view.  The  ground  was  red  with  strawberries;  and 
the  boatmen  were  seen  in  straggling  parties  feasting  on  them. 
Now  and  then  a  solitary  Indian,  wrapt  in  his  blanket,  passed 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cxli 

sullen  and  silent  On  this  plain  are  beds  of  shells,  of  a  large 
species  of  clam,  some  of  which  are  almost  entire.  I  this  day 
stopt  at  the  house  of  a  white  man,  who  had  two  Indian  wives, 
and  a  hopeful  string  of  young  savages,  all  in  their  fig-leaves; 
not  one  of  them  could  speak  a  word  of  English.  This  man 
was  by  birth  a  Virginian,  and  had  been  forty  years  among  the 
Chickasaws.  His  countenance  and  manners  were  savage  and 
worse  than  Indian.  I  met  many  parties  of  boatmen  to-day, 
and  crossed  a  number  of  bad  swamps.  The  woods  continued 
to  exhibit  the  same  open  luxuriant  appearance,  and  at  night  I 
lodged  at  a  white  man's,  who  has  also  two  wives,  and  a  nume- 
rous progeny  of  young  savages.  Here  I  met  with  a  lieutenant 
of  the  United  States  army,  anxiously  inquiring  for  General 
Hampton.  On  Friday  the  same  open  woods  continued;  I  met 
several  parties  of  Indians,  and  passed  two  or  three  of  their 
hamlets.  At  one  of  these  were  two  fires  in  the  yard,  and  at 
each,  eight  or  ten  Indians,  men  and  women,  squat  on  the 
ground.  In  these  hamlets  there  is  generally  one  house  built  of 
a  circular  form,  and  plastered  thickly  all  over  without  and 
within  with  clay.  This  they  call  a  hot  house,  and  it  is  the 
general  winter  quarters  of  the  hamlet  in  cold  weather.  Here 
they  all  kennel,  and  having  neither  window  nor  place  for  the 
smoke  to  escape,  it  must  be  a  sweet  place  while  forty  or  fifty 
of  them  have  it  in  occupancy.  Round  some  of  these  hamlets 
were  great  droves  of  cattle,  horses,  and  hogs.  I  lodged  this 
night  on  the  top  of  a  hill  far  from  water,  and  suffered  severely 
for  thirst.  On  Saturday  I  passed  a  number  of  most  execrable 
swamps,  the  weather  was  extremely  warm,  and  I  had  been  at- 
tacked by  something  like  the  dysentery,  which  occasioned  a 
constant  burning  thirst,  and  weakened  me  greatly.  I  stopt 
this  day.  frequently  to  wash  my  head  and  throat  in  the  water, 
to  allay  the  burning  thirst,  and  putting  on  my  hat,  without 
wiping,  received  considerable  relief  from  it.  Since  crossing 
the  Tennessee  the  woods  have  been  interspersed  with  pine, 
and  the  soil  has  become  more  sandy.  This  day  I  met  a  Cap- 
tain Hughes,  a  traveller,  on  his  return  from  Santa  Fee.  My 


cxlii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

complaint  increased  so  much  that  I  could  scarcely  sit  on  horse- 
back, and  all  night  my  mouth  and  throat  were  parched  with  a 
burning  thirst  and  fever.  On  Sunday  I  bought  some  raw  eggs 
which  I  ate.  I  repeated  the  dose  at  mid-day,  and  towards 
evening,  and  found  great  benefit  from  this  simple  remedy.  I 
inquired  all  along  the  road  for  fresh  eggs,  and  for  nearly  a 
week  made  them  almost  my  sole  food,  till  I  completed  my 
cure.  The  water  in  these  cane  swamps  is  little  better  than 
poison;  and  under  the  heat  of  a  burning  sun,  and  the  fatigues 
of  travelling,  it  is  difficult  to  repress  the  urgent  calls  of  thirst 
On  the  Wednesday  following,  I  was  assailed  by  a  tremendous 
storm  of  rain,  wind,  and  lightning,  until  I  and  my  horse  were 
both  blinded  by  the  deluge,  and  unable  to  go  on.  I  sought  the 
first  most  open  place,  and  dismounting  stood  for  half  an  hour 
under  the  most  profuse  heavenly  shower-bath  I  ever  enjoyed. 
The  roaring  of  the  storm  was  terrible;  several  trees  around  me 
were  broken  off,  and  torn  up  by  the  roots,  and  those  that  stood 
were  bent  almost  to  the  ground:  limbs  of  trees  of  several  hun- 
dred weight  flew  past  within  a  few  yards  of  me,  and  I  was  as- 
tonished how  I  escaped.  I  would  rather  take  my  chance  in  a 
field  of  battle,  than  in  such  a  tornado  again. 

"  On  the  fourteenth  day  of  my  journey,  at  noon,  I  arrived 
at  this  place,  having  overcome  every  obstacle,  alone,  and  with- 
out being  acquainted  with  the  country;  and  what  surprised  the 
boatmen  more,  without  whisky.  On  an  average  I  met  from 
forty  to  sixty  boatmen  every  day,  returning  from  this  place 
and  New  Orleans.  The  Chickasaws  are  a  friendly,  inoffensive 
people,  and  the  Choctaws,  though  more  reserved,  are  equally 
harmless.  Both  of  them  treated  me  with  civility,  though  I 
several  times  had  occasion  to  pass  through  their  camps,  where 
many  of  them  were  drunk.  The  paroquet  which  I  carried 
with  me  was  a  continual  fund  of  amusement  to  all  ages  of  these 
people;  and  as  they  crowded  around  to  look  at  it,  gave  me  an 
opportunity  of  studying  their  physiognomies,  without  breach 
of  good  manners. 

"  In  thus  hastily  running  over  the  particulars  of  this  jour- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cxliii 

ney,  I  am  obliged  to  omit  much  that  would  amuse  and  interest 
you;  but  my  present  situation,  a  noisy  tavern,  crowded  in  eve- 
ry corner,  even  in  the  room  where  I  write,  with  the  sons  of 
riot  and  dissipation,  prevents  me  from  enlarging  on  particulars. 
I  could  also  have  wished  to  give  you  some  account  of  this  place, 
and  of  the  celebrated  Mississippi,  of  which  you  have  heard  so 
much.  On  these  subjects,  however,  I  can  at  present  only  of- 
fer you  the  following  slight  sketch,  taken  the  morning  after  my 
arrival  here. 

"  The  best  view  of  this  place  and  surrounding  scenery,  is 
from  the  old  Spanish  fort  on  the  south  side  of  the  town,  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  From  this  high  point,  looking  up 
the  river,  Natchez  lies  on  your  right,  a  mingled  group  of  green 
trees,  and  white  and  red  houses,  occupying  an  uneven  plain, 
much  washed  into  ravines,  rising  as  it  recedes  from  the  bluff 
or  high  precipitous  bank  of  the  river.  There  is,  however, 
neither  steeple,  cupola,  nor  distinguished  object  to  add  interest 
to  its  appearance.  The  country  beyond  it  to  the  right  is  thrown 
up  into  the  same  irregular  knolls;  and  at  the  distance  of  a  mile, 
in  the  same  direction,  you  have  a  peep  of  some  cultivated  farms, 
bounded  by  the  general  forest.  On  your  left  you  look  down, 
at  a  depth  of  two  or  three  hundred  feet,  on  the  river,  winding 
majestically  to  the  south;  the  intermediate  space  exhibiting  wild 
perpendicular  precipices  of  brown  earth.  This  part  of  the  ri- 
ver and  shore  is  the  general  rendezvous  of  all  the  arks  or  Ken- 
tucky boats,  several  hundreds  of  which  are  at  present  lying 
moored  there,  loaded  with  the  produce  of  the  thousand  shores 
of  this  noble  river.  The  busy  multitudes  below  present  a  per- 
petually varying  picture  of  industry;  and  the  noise  and  uproar, 
softened  by  the  distance,  with  the  continual  crowing  of  the 
poultry  with  which  many  of  these  arks  are  filled,  produce 
cheerful  and  exhilirating  ideas.  The  majestic  Mississippi, 
swelled  by  his  ten  thousand  tributary  streams,  of  a  pale  brown 
colour,  half  a  mile  wide,  and  spotted  with  trunks  of  trees,  that 
show  the  different  threads  of  the  current  and  its  numerous  ed- 
dies, bears  his  depth  of  water  past  in  silent  grandeur.  Seven 


cxliv  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

gun-boats,  anchored  at  equal  distances  along  the  stream,  with 
their  ensigns  displayed,  add  to  the  effect.  A  few  scattered 
houses  are  seen  on  the  low  opposite  shore,  where  a  narrow 
strip  of  cleared  land  exposes  the  high  gigantic  trunks  of  some 
deadened  timber  that  bound  the  woods.  The  whole  country 
beyond  the  Mississippi,  from  south  round  to  west,  and  north, 
presents  to  the  eye  one  universal  level  ocean  of  forest,  bounded 
only  by  the  horizon.  So  perfect  is  this  vast  level,  that  not  a 
leaf  seems  to  rise  above  the  plain,  as  if  shorn  by  the  hands  of 
heaven.  At  this  moment,  while  I  write,  a  terrific  thunder 
storm,  with  all  its  towering  assemblage  of  black  alpine  clouds, 
discharging  lightning  in  every  direction,  overhangs  this  vast  le- 
vel, and  gives  a  magnificence  and  sublime  effect  to  the  whole." 
The  foregoing  letters  present  us  with  an  interesting  ac- 
count of  our  author's  journey,  until  his  arrival  at  Natchez,  on 
the  seventeenth  of  May.  In  his  diary  he  says — "  This  jour- 
ney, four  hundred  and  seventy-eight  miles  from  Nashville,  I 
have  performed  alone,  through  difficulties,  which  those  who 
have  never  passed  the  road  could  not  have  a  conception  of. " 
We  may  readily  suppose  that  he  had  not  only  difficulties  to 
encounter,  encumbered  as  he  necessarily  was  with  his  shoot- 
ing apparatus,  and  bulky  baggage,  but  also  dangers,  in  journey- 
ing through  a  frightful  wilderness,  where  almost  impenetrable 
cane-swamps  and  morasses  present  obstacles  to  the  progress  of 
the  traveller,  which  require  all  his  resolution  and  activity  to 
overcome.  Superadded  to  which,  as  we  are  informed,  he  had 
a  severe  attack  of  the  dysentery,  when  remote  from  any  situa- 
tion which  could  be  productive  of  either  comfort  or  relief;  and 
he  was  under  the  painful  necessity  of  trudging  on,  debilitated 
and  dispirited  with  a  disease,  which  threatened  to  put  a  period 
to  his  existence.  An  Indian,  having  been  made  acquainted 
with  his  situation,  recommended  the  eating  of  strawberries, 
which  were  then  fully  ripe,  and  in  great  abundance.  On  this 
delightful  fruit,  and  newly  laid  eggs,  taken  raw,  he  wholly 
lived  for  several  days;  and  he  attributed  his  restoration  to  health 
to  these  simple  remedies. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cxlv 

On  the  sixth  of  June  our  traveller  reached  New  Orleans,  dis- 
tant from  Natchez  two  hundred  and  fifty-two  miles.  As  the 
sickly  season  was  fast  approaching,  it  was  deemed  advisable 
not  to  tarry  long  in  this  place;  and  his  affairs  being  despatched, 
he  sailed  on  the  twenty-fourth  in  a  ship  bound  to  New  York, 
at  which  place  he  arrived  on  the  thirtieth  of  July;  and  soon 
reached  Philadelphia,  enriched  with  a  copious  stock  of  materials 
for  his  work,  including  several  beautiful  and  hitherto  unknown 
birds.* 

In  the  newly  settled  country  through  which  Wilson  had  to 
pass,  in  his  last  journey,  it  was  reasonable  not  to  expect  much 
encouragement  in  the  way  of  subscriptions.  Yet  he  was  not 
only  honoured  with  the  names  of  some  respectable  individuals; 
but  also  received  hospitable  treatment  from  several  persons, 
and  those,  too,  to  whom  he  had  not  been  introduced.  It  is  a 
singular  fact,  that  from  those  to  whom  he  had  letters  of  intro- 
duction, and  from  whom  most  had  beefl  expected,  he  received 
the  fewest  acts  of  civility. 

The  principal  events  of  his  journey  have  been  given  in  his 
letters;  but  I  might  select  from  his  diary  many  interesting  pas- 
sages, if  the  limits  allotted  to  this  memoir  would  admit  of  co- 
piousness of  detail. 

*  The  editor  of  Wilson's  Poems,  which  were  published  at  Paisley  in  1816, 
gives  what  he  states  to  be  an  extract  from  one  of  our  author's  letters  to  his 
father,  wherein  it  is  said  that  he  had  travelled  through  West  Florida  to  New 
Orleans,  and  had  "  sailed  thence  to  East  Florida,  furnished  with  a  letter  to 
the  Spanish  Governor."  This  passage  needs  explanation.  Wilson  was  ne- 
ver either  in  East  or  West  Florida;  (except  a  small  part  of  the  latter  pro- 
vince, through  which  the  road  to  New  Orleans  passed,)  but,  in  the  event  of 
his  going  thither,  had  provided  himself  with  a  letter  of  introduction  from 
Don  Luis  de  Onis,  the  Spanish  ambassador  to  the  United  States,  to  Don  En- 
rique White,  governor  of  East  Florida,  and  another  to  Don  Vincente  Folch, 
governor  of  West  Florida.  In  his  passage  from  New  Orleans  to  New  York, 
he  merely  landed,  for  a  few  minutes,  upon  one  or  two  desert  islands  lying  in 
the  Florida  Gulf. 

He  departed  from  Philadelphia  on  the  thirtieth  of  January,  1810;  and  re- 
turned on  the  second  of  August,  of  the  same  year.  It  is  stated  in  his  diary 
that  the  total  amount  of  his  expenses,  until  his  arrival  in  New  York,  was  the 
sum  of  four  hundred  and  fifty-five  dollars.  This  particular  is  given  as  a  proof 
of  how  much  may  be  performed,  by  a  good  economist,  with  slender  means 

VOL.  I. — T 


clxvi  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

It  is  not  unusual  for  scholars  to  keep  diaries  when  they  tra- 
vel. These  writings  are  commonly  the  objects  of  great  curi- 
osity, as  we  are  all  anxious  to  know  what  were  the  impressions 
which  the  incidents  of  a  journey  made  upon  the  mind,  when  it 
was  in  the  fitest  state  to  receive  them. 

For  the  gratification  of  the  reader,  I  will  make  a  few  short 
extracts  from  Wilson's  Journal,  as  specimens  of  his  mode  of 
writing  these  unstudied  narratives. 

"  March  9. — Visited  a  number  of  the  literati  and  wealthy 
of  Cincinnati,  who  all  told  me  that  they  would  think  of  it,  viz. 
of  subscribing:  they  are  a  very  thoughtful  people. 

"  March  17. — Rained  and  hailed  all  last  night,  set  off  at 
eight  o'clock,  after  emptying  my  boat  of  the  deluge  of  water. 
Rowed  hard  all  day;  at  noon  recruited  myself  with  some  bis- 
cuits, cheese  and  American  wine.  Reach  the  falls — night  sets 
in — hear  the  roaring  of  the  rapids.  After  excessive  hard  work 
arrive  at  Beargrass  creek,  and  fasten  my  boat  to  a  Kentucky 
one.  Take  my  baggage  and  grope  my  way  to  Louisville — put 
up  at  the  Indian  Queen  tavern,  and  gladly  sit  down  to  rest  my- 
self. 

"  March  18. — Rose  quite  refreshed.  Found  a  number  of 
land  speculators  here.  Titles  to  lands  in  Kentucky  subject  to 
great  disputes. 

"  March  1 9. — Rambling  round  the  town  with  my  gun.  Exa- 
mined Mr.  's  drawings  in  crayons — very  good.  Saw 

two  new  birds  he  had,  both  Motacillse. 

"  March  20. — Set  out  this  afternoon  with  the  gun  —killed 
nothing  new.  People  in  taverns  here  devour  their  meals. 
Many  shopkeepers  board  in  taverns — also  boatmen,  land  specu- 
lators, merchants,  &c.  No  naturalist  to  keep  me  company. 

"  March  21. — Went  out  this  afternoon  shooting  with  Mr. 
A.  Saw  a  number  of  Sandhill  cranes.  Pigeons  numerous. 

"  March  23. — Packed  up  my  things  which  I  left  in  the  care 
of  a  merchant  here,  to  be  sent  on  to  Lexington;  and  having 
parted,  with  great  regret,  with  my  paroquet,  to  the  gentlemen 
of  the  tavern,  I  bade  adieu  to  Louisville,  to  which  place  I  had 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cxlvii 

four  letters  of  recommendation,  and  was  taught  to  expect  much 
of  every  thing  there;  but  neither  received  one  act  of  civility 
from  those  to  whom  I  was  recommended,  one  subscriber,  nor 
one  new  bird;  though  I  delivered  my  letters,  ransacked  the 
woods  repeatedly,  and  visited  all  the  characters  likely  to  sub- 
scribe. Science  or  literature  has  not  one  friend  in  this  place. 
Every  one  is  so  intent  on  making  money  that  they  can  talk  of 
nothing  else;  and  they  absolutely  devour  their  meals  that  they 
may  return  the  sooner  to  their  business.  Their  manners  cor- 
respond with  their  features. 

"  Good  country  this  for  lazy  fellows:  they  plant  corn,  turn 
their  pigs  into  the  woods,  and  in  the  autumn  feed  upon  corn 
and  pork — they  lounge  about  the  rest  of  the  year. 

"  March  24. — Weather  cool.  Walked  to  Shelby ville  to 
breakfast.  Passed  some  miserable  log-houses  in  the  midst  of 
rich  fields.  Called  at  a  'Squire  C.'s,  who  was  rolling  logs.  Sat 
down  beside  him,  but  was  not  invited  in,  though  it  was  about 
noon. 

"  March  29. — Finding  my  baggage  not  likely  to  come  on,  I 
set  out  from  Frankfort  for  Lexington.  The  woods  swarm  with 
pigs,  squirrels  and  woodpeckers-  Arrive  exceedingly  fatigued. 

"  Wherever  you  go  you  hear  people  talking  of  buying  and 
selling  land;  no  readers,  all  traders.  The  Yankees,  wherever 
you  find  them,  are  all  traders.  Found  one  here,  a  house  car- 
penter, who  came  from  Massachusetts,  and  brought  some  bar- 
rels of  apples  down  the  river  from  Pennsylvania  to  this  town, 
where  he  employs  the  negro  women  to  hawk  them  about  the 
streets,  at  thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents  per  dozen. 

"  Restless,  speculating  set  of  mortals  here,  full  of  lawsuits, 
no  great  readers,  even  of  politics  or  newspapers. 

"  The  sweet  courtesies  of  life,  the  innumerable  civilities  in 
deeds  and  conversation,  which  cost  one  so  little,  are  seldom 
found  here.  Every  man  you  meet  with  has  either  some  land 
to  buy  or  sell,j3ome  law-suit,  some  coarse  hemp  or  corn  to  dis- 
pose of;  and  if  the  conversation  do  not  lead  to  any  of  these  he 
will  force  it.  Strangers  here  receive  less  civilities  than  in  any 


Cxlviii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

• 

place  I  have  ever  been  in.  The  respect  due  to  the  fatigues  and 
privations  of  travellers  is  no  where  given,  because  every  one 
has  met  with  as  much,  and  thinks  he  has  seen  more  than  any 
other.  No  one  listens  to  the  adventures  of  another,  without 
interrupting  the  narrative  with  his  own ;  so  that,  instead  of  an 
auditor,  he  becomes  a  competitor  in  adventure-telling.  So 
many  adventurers,  also,  continually  wandering  about  here,  in- 
jure the  manners  of  the  people,  for  avarice  and  knavery  prey 
most  freely  and  safely  upon  passengers  whom  they  may  never 
meet  again. 

"  These  few  observations  are  written  in  Salter  White's  gar- 
ret, with  little  or  no  fire,  wood  being  a  scarce  article  here — the 
forests  being  a  full  half  mile  distant. 

"  April  9. — Court  held  to-day,  large  concourse  of  people;  not 
less  than  one  thousand  horses  in  town,  hitched  to  the  side-posts 
— no  food  for  them  all  day.  Horses  selling  by  auction.  Ne- 
gro woman  sold  same  way:  my  reflections  while  standing  by 
and  hearing  her  cried:  '  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  dol- 
lars for  this  woman  and  boy!  going!  going!'  Woman  and  boy 
afterwards  weep.  Damned  damned  slavery!  this  is  one  infer- 
nal custom  which  the  Virginians  have  brought  into  this  coun- 
try. Rude  and  barbarous  appearance  of  the  crowd.  Hopkins's 
double  cutters  much  wanted  here. 

"  April  10. — Was  introduced  to  several  young  ladies  this  af- 
ternoon, whose  agreeable  society  formed  a  most  welcome  con- 
trast to  that  of  the  lower  orders  of  the  other  sex.  Mrs.  *  *  *, 
an  amiable,  excellent  lady;  think  that  savage  ignorance,  rude- 
ness and  boorishnes.s,  were  never  so  contrasted  by  female  sweet- 
ness, affability  and  intelligence. 

"  April  12. — Went  this  evening  to  drink  tea  with  Mr. 
*  *  *;  was  introduced  to  Mrs.  *  *  *,  a  most  lovely,  accom- 
plished and  interesting  woman.  Her  good  sense  and  lively  in- 
telligence of  a  cast  far  superior  to  that  of  almost  any  woman  I 
have  ever  seen.  She  is  most  unfortunately  unwell  with  a  ner- 
vous complaint,  which  affects  her  head.  She  told  me,  most 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cxlix 

feelingly,  that  the  spring,  which  brings  joy  to  every  other  be- 
ing, brings  sorrow  to  her,  for  in  winter  she  is  always  well. 

"  April  25.  Breakfasted  at  Walton's,  thirteen  miles  from 
Nashville.  This  place  is  a  fine  rich  hollow,  watered  by  a  charm- 
ing, clear  creek,  that  never  fails.  Went  up  to  Madison's  Lick, 
where  I  shot  three  paroquets  and  some  small  birds. 

66  April  26.  Set  out  early,  the  hospitable  landlord,  ISAAC 
WALTON,  refusing  to  take  any  thing  for  my  fare,  or  that  of  my 
horse,  saying — "  You  seem  to  be  travelling  for  the  good  of 
the  world;  and  I  cannot,  I  will  not  charge  you  any  thing. 
Whenever  you  come  this  way,  call  and  stay  with  me,  you 
shall  be  welcome!"  This  is  the  first  instance  of  such*  hospi- 
tality which  I  have  met  with  in  the  United  States. " 

"  Wednesday,  May  23.  Left  Natchez,  after  procuring 
twelve  subscribers;  and  having  received  a  kind  letter  of  invi- 
tation from  William  Dunbar,  Esq.,  I  availed  myself  of  his  good- 
ness, and  rode  nine  miles  along  the  usual  road  to  his  house; 
where,  though  confined  to  his  bed  by  a  severe  indisposition,  I 
was  received  with  great  hospitality  and  kindness;  had  a  neat 
bed-room  assigned  me;  and  was  requested  to  consider  myself 
as  at  home  during  the  time  I  should  find  it  convenient  to  stay 
in  exploring  this  part  of  the  country. " 

The  letter  above  mentioned,  which  is  now  before  me,  is  wor- 
thy of  transcription: 

"  Forest,  20th  May,  1810. 
"  Sir, 

"  It  is  very  unfortunate  that  I  should  be  so  much  indisposed 
as  to  be  confined  to  my  bed-room;  nevertheless,  I  cannot  give 
up  the  idea  of  having  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  as  soon  as  you 
find  it  convenient;  the  perusal  of  your  first  volume  of  Orni- 
thology, lent  me  by  General  Wilkinson,  has  produced  in  me  a 
very  great  desire  of  making  your  acquaintance. 

*  The  editor  of  Wilson's  Poems,  in  quoting  this  paragraph,  omitted  the 
word  such,  thereby  intending  to  convey  a  charge  of  the  want  of  hospitality 
in  the  American  character,  which  our  author  rarely  experienced.  Wilson's 
meaning  is  sufficiently  obvious,  without  comment. 


cl  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

"  I  understand,  from  my  boy,  that  you  propose  going  in  a 
few  days  to  New  Orleans,  where  you  will  see  some  small  cabi- 
nets of  natural  history  that  may  interest  you.  But,  as  I  pre- 
sume it  is  your  intention  to  prosecute  your  inquiries  into  the 
interior  of  our  country,  this  cannot  be  done  better  than  from 
my  house,  as  your  head  quarters;  where  every  thing  will  be 
made  convenient  to  your  wishes.  My  house  stands  literally 
in  the  forest,  and  your  beautiful  Orioles,  with  other  elegant 
birds,  are  our  court-yard  companions. 

"  The  bearer  attends  you  with  a  couple  of  horses,  on  the 
supposition  that  it  may  be  convenient  for  you  to  visit  us  to-day; 
otherwise  he  shall  wait  upon  you  any  other  day  that  you  shall 
appoint. 

"  I  am  respectfully,  &c. 

"  WILLIAM  DUNBAR." 

This  excellent  gentleman,  whose  hospitality  was  thus  prompt- 
ly excited,  has  since  paid  the  debt  of  nature;  and  his  grateful 
guest  fondly  cherished,  to  the  last  hour  of  his  existence,  the  re- 
membrance of  those  happy  moments  which  had  been  passed  in 
his  society,  and  that  of  his  amiable  and  accomplished  family. 

TO  MR.  WILLIAM  BARTRAM. 

Philadelphia,  September  2,  1810. 

"  Incessant  labour  since  my  return,  to  make  up  my  loss  of 
drawings,  which  were  sent  by  post  from  Nashville,  has  hither- 
to prevented  me  from  paying  you  a  visit.  I  am  closely  en- 
gaged on  my  third  volume.  Any  particulars  relative  to  the 
history  of  the  meadow  lark,  crow  black-bird,  snow  bunting, 
cuckoo,  paroquet,  nonpareil,  pinnated  grous,  or  blue  grosbeak, 
if  interesting,  would  be  received  by  me  with  much  pleasure. 
I  have  lately  received  from  Michaux  a  number  of  rich  speci- 
mens of  birds,  printed  in  colours.  I  have  since  made  some  at- 
tempts at  this  kind  of  printing,  and  have  succeeded  tolerably 
well. 

u  Michaux  has  published  several  numbers  of  his  American 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cli 

Sylva,  in  Paris,  with  coloured  plates.  I  expect  them  here 
soon. 

"  I  collected  a  number  of  entire  new  species  in  my  south- 
western tour;  and  in  my  return  I  visited  several  of  the  islands 
off  the  Florida  shore,  where  I  met  with  some  very  curious  land 
birds. 

"  Mr.  Dunbar,  of  Natchez,  remembered  you  very  well,  and 
desired  me  to  carry  his  good  wishes  to  you." 

TO  MR.  WM.  DUNCAN,  FRANKFORD,  PENN. 

Philadelphia,  February  12,  1811. 

"  So  you  have  once  more  ascended  the  preceptor's  rostrum, 
to  wield  the  terrors  of  the  taws  and  hickory.  Trying  as  this 
situation  is,  and  various  and  distracting  as  its  avocations  some- 
times undoubtedly  are,  it  is  elysium  to  the  scenes  which  you 
have  lately  emerged  from;  and  as  far  transcends  these  latter,  as 
honourable  independence  towers  above  despised  and  insulted 
servitude.  You  wish  me  to  suggest  any  hints  I  may  think 
proper  for  your  present  situation.  Your  own  experience  and 
prudence  render  any  thing  I  could  advise  unnecessary,  as  it  is 
all  included  in  the  two  resolutions  which  you  have  already  ta- 
ken; first,  to  distinguish,  as  clearly  as  possible,  the  whole  ex- 
tent of  your  duty;  and,  secondly,  to  fulfil  every  item  of  that  to 
the  best  of  your  abilities.  Accordingly,  the  more  extensive 
and  powerful  these  are,  the  greater  good  you  will  be  capable 
of  doing;  the  higher  and  more  dignified  will  your  reputation 
be;  and  the  easier  and  calmer  will  your  deportment  be,  under 
every  circumstance  of  duty.  You  have  but  these  two  things 
to  surmount,  and  the  whole  routine  of  teaching  will  become  an 
agreeable  amusement;  and  every  closing  day  will  shed  over 
your  mind  that  blissful  tranquillity,  "  which  nothing  earthly 
gives  or  can  destroy." 

"  Devote  your  whole  time,  except  what  is  proper  for  need- 
ful exercise,  to  rendering  yourself  completely  master  of  your 
business.  For  this  purpose  rise  by  the  peep  of  dawn;  take 
your  regular  walk;  and  then  commence  your  stated  studies. 


clii  MFE  OF  WILSON. 

Be  under  no  anxiety  to  hear  what  people  think  of  you,  or  of 
your  tutorship;  but  study  the  improvement,  and  watch  over 
the  good  conduct,  of  their  children  consigned  to  your  care,  as 
if  they  were  your  own.  Mingle  respect  and  affability  with 
your  orders  and  arrangements.  Never  show  yourself  feverish 
or  irritated;  but  preserve  a  firm  and  dignified,  a  just  and  ener- 
getic deportment,  in  every  emergency.  To  be  completely 
master  of  one's  business,  and  ever  anxious  to  discharge  it  with 
fidelity  and  honour,  is  to  be  great,  beloved,  respectable  and 
happy. 

"  I  could  have  wished  that  you  had  been  accommodated  with 
a  room  and  boarding  in  a  more  private  and  retired  situation, 
where  your  time  and  reflections  would  have  been  more  your 
own;  and  perhaps  these  may  be  obtained  hereafter.  Try  to 
discover  your  own  defects,  and  labour  with  all  your  energy  to 
supply  them.  Respect  yourself,  and  fear  nothing  but  vice  and 
idleness.  If  one  had  no  other  reward  for  doing  one's  duty, 
but  the  grateful  sensations  arising  therefrom  on  the  retrospec- 
tion, the  recompense  would  be  abundant,  as  these  alone  are 

able  to  bear  us  up  amidst  every  reverse. 

#  *  #  * 

"  At  present  I  cannot  enlarge  further,  my  own  mind  being 
harrassed  with  difficulties  relative  to  my  publication.  I  have 
now  no  farther  dependence  on  Murray;  and  I  mean  to  make  it 
consistent  both  with  the  fame,  and  the  interest,  of  Lawson  to 
do  his  best  for  me.  I  hope  you  will  continue  to  let  me  hear 
from  you,  from  time  to  time.  I  anticipate  much  pleasure  from 
the  improvements  which  I  have  no  doubt  you  will  now  make 
in  the  several  necessary  departments  of  your  business.  Wish- 
ing you  every  success  in  your  endeavours  to  excel,  I  remain, 
with  sincere  regard,  &c." 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1812,  Wilson  published  his  fifth 
volume;  and  as  the  preface  is  interesting,  we  here  insert  an  ex- 
tract from  it,  for  the  gratification  of  the  reader. 


LIFE  OP  WILSON.  cliii 

"  The  fifth  volume  of  this  extensive  work  is  submitted  to  the 
public  with  all  due  deference  and  respect;  and  the  author  hav- 
ing now,  as  he  conjectures,  reached  the  middle  stage  of  his 
journey,  or  in  traveller's  phrase,  the  '  half- way  house,'  may  be 
permitted  to  indulge  himself  with  a  slight  retrospect  of  the 
ground  he  has  already  traversed,  and  a  glimpse  of  that  which 
still  lies  before  him. 

"  The  whole  of  our  Land  Birds  (those  of  the  sixth  volume 
included,  which  are  nearly  ready  for  the  press)  have  now  been 
figured  and  described,  probably  a  very  few  excepted,  which,  it 
is,  hoped  will  also  shortly  be  obtained.  These  have  been  gleaned 
up  from  an  extensive  territory  of  woods  and  fields,  unfrequen- 
ted forests,  solitary  ranges  of  mountains,  swamps  and  morasses, 
by  successive  journies  and  excursions  of  more  than  ten  thousand 
miles.  With  all  the  industry  which  a  single  individual  could 
possibly  exert,  several  species  have  doubtless  escaped  him. 
These,  future  expeditions  may  enable  him  to  procure;  or  the 
kindness  of  his  distant  literary  friends  obligingly  supply  him 
with. 

"  In  endeavouring  to  collect  materials  for  describing  truly 
and  fully  our  feathered  tribes,  he  has  frequently  had  recourse 
to  the  works  of  those  European  naturalists  who  have  written 
on  the  subject;  he  has  examined  their  pages  with  an  eager  and 
inquisitive  eye;  but  his  researches  in  that  quarter  have  been  but 
too  frequently  repaid  with  disappointment,  and  often  with  dis- 
gust. On  the  subject  of  the  manners  and  migrations  of  our 
birds,  which  in  fact  constitute  almost  the  only  instructive  and 
interesting  parts  of  their  history,  all  is  a  barren  and  a  dreary 
waste.  A  few  vague  and  formal  particulars  of  their  size,  speci- 
fic marks,  &c.  accompanied  sometimes  with  figured  represen- 
tations that  would  seem  rather  intended  to  caricature  than  to  il- 
lustrate their  originals,  is  all  that  the  greater  part  of  them  can 
boast  of.  Nor  are  these  the  most  exceptionable  parts  of  their 
performances;  the  novelty  of  fable,  and  the  wildness  of  fanci- 
ful theory,  are  frequently  substituted  for  realities;  and  conjec- 
tures instead  of  facts  called  up  for  their  support.  Prejudice, 

VOL.  i — u 


I 


LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

as  usual,  has  in  numerous  instances  united  with  its  parent,  ig- 
norance, to  depreciate  and  treat  with  contempt  what  neither  of 
them  understood;  and  the  whole  interesting  assemblage  of  the 
feathered  tribes  of  this  vast  continent,  which  in  richness  of  plu- 
mage, and  in  strength,  sweetness  and  variety  of  song,  will  be 
found  to  exceed  those  of  any  other  quarter  of  the  globe,  are 
little  known  save  in  the  stuffed  cabinets  of  the  curious,  and 
among  the  abstruse  pages  and  technical  catalogues  of  dry  syste- 
matic writers. 

"  From  these  barren  and  musty  records,  the  author  of  the 
present  work  has  a  thousand  times  turned  with  a  delight  bor- 
dering on  adoration,  to  the  magnificent  repository  of  the  woods 
and  fields — the  Grand  Aviary  of  Nature.  In  this  divine  school 
he  has  studied  from  no  vulgar  copy,  but  from  the  works  of  the 
GREAT  MASTER  OF  CREATION  himself;  and  has  read  with  rap- 
ture the  lessons  of  his  wisdom,  his  goodness  and  his  love,  in  the 
conformation,  the  habitudes,  melody  and  migrations  of  this 
beautiful  portion  of  the  work  of  his  hands.  To  communicate 
as  correct  ideas  of  these  as  his  feeble  powers  were  capable  of, 
and  thus,  from  objects,  that,  in  our  rural  walks,  almost  every 
where  present  themselves,  to  deduce  not  only  amusement  and 
instruction,  but  the  highest  incitements  to  virtue  and  piety, 
have  been  the  author's  most  anxious  and  ardent  wish.  On  many 
of  his  subjects,  indeed,  it  has  not  been  in  his  power  to  say  much. 
The  recent  discovery  of  some,  and  the  solitary  and  secluded 
habits  of  others,  have  opposed  great  obstacles  to  his  endeavours 
in  this  respect.  But  a  time  is  approaching  when  these  obstacles 
will  no  longer  exist.  When  the  population  of  this  immense 
western  Republic  will  have  diffused  itself  over  every  acre  of 
ground  fit  for  the  comfortable  habitation  of  man — when  farms, 
villages,  towns  and  glittering  cities,  thick  as  the  stars  in  a  win- 
ter's evening,  overspread  the  face  of  our  beloved  country,  and 
every  hill,  valley  and  stream  has  its  favourite  name,  its  native 
flocks  and  rural  inhabitants;  then,  not  a  warbler  shall  flit  through 
our  thickets,  but  its  name,  its  notes  and  habits  will  be  familiar 
to  all;  repeated  in  their  sayings,  and  celebrated  in  their  village 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  civ 

songs.  At  that  happy  period,  should  any  vestige  or  memory  of 
the  present  publication  exist,  be  it  known  to  our  more  enlight- 
ened posterity,  as  some  apology  for  the  deficiencies  of  its  author, 
that  in  the  period  in  which  he  wrote,  three-fourths  of  our  feath- 
ered tribes  were  altogether  unknown  even  to  the  proprietors  of 
the  woods  which  they  frequented — that  without  patron,  fortune 
or  recompense,  he  brought  the  greater  part  of  these  from  the 
obscurity  of  ages,  gave  to  each  "  a  local  habitation  and  a  name" 
— collected  from  personal  observation  whatever  of  their  char- 
acters and  manners  seemed  deserving  of  attention;  and  delineated 
their  forms  and  features,  in  their  native  colours,  as  faithfully  as 
he  could,  as  records,  at  least,  of  their  existence. 

"  In  treating  of  those  birds  more  generally  known,  I  have 
endeavoured  to  do  impartial  justice  to  their  respective  charac- 
ters. Ignorance  and  stubborn-rooted  opinions,  even  in  this  coun- 
try, have  rendered  some  odious  that  are  eminently  useful;  and 
involved  the  manners  of  others  in  fable  and  mystery,  which  in 
themselves  are  plain  and  open  as  day.  To  remove  prejudices 
when  they  oppose  themselves  to  the  influence  of  humanity  is  a 
difficult,  but  when  effected,  a  most  pleasing  employment.  If 
therefore,  in  devesting  this  part  of  the  natural  history  of  our 
country  of  many  of  its  fables  and  most  forbidding  features,  and 
thus  enabling  our  youth  to  become  more  intimately  acquainted 
with  this  charming  portion  of  the  feathered  creation,  I  should 
have  succeeded  in  multiplying  their  virtuous  enjoyments,  and 
in  rendering  them  more  humane  to  those  little  choristers,  how 
gratifying  to  my  heart  would  be  the  reflection !  For  to  me  it  ap- 
pears, that  of  all  inferior  creatures  Heaven  seems  to  have  inten- 
ded birds  as  the  most  cheerful  associates  of  man;  to  sooth  and 
exhilarate  him  in  his  labours  by  their  varied  melody,  of  which 
no  other  creature,  but  man,  is  capable;  to  prevent  the  increase 
of  those  supernumerary  hosts  of  insects  that  would  soon  con- 
sume the  products  of  his  industry;  to  glean  up  the  refuse  of  his 
fields,  'that  nothing  be  lost,'  and,  what  is  of  much  more  inter- 
est, to  be  to  him  the  most  endearing  examples  of  the  tenderest 
connubial  love  and  parental  affection." 


OF  WILSON. 
TO  MR.   F.  A.   MICHAUX. 

Philadelphia^  June,  6th,  1812. 
"  My  dear  friend, 

"  I  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  a  letter  from  you,  dated 
April  10,  1812;  but  living  at  Mr.  Bartram's,  I  have  not  yet 
seen  Mr.  Correa,  the  gentleman  who  brought  it  over.  I  have 
also  had  the  great  satisfaction  of  examining  the  plates  of  your 
four  numbers  of  Forest  Trees,  which  are  beautifully  executed; 
and  I  regret  most  sincerely  that  my  little  knowledge  of  the 
French  language!  prevents  me  from  perusing  with  equal  satis- 
faction, the  interesting  particulars  you  relate  of  their  history.  I 
expected  long  before  this  to  be  able  to  congratulate  you  on  the 
publication  of  a  translation  of  your  work  here,  and  I  announced 
the  same  in  the  preface  to  one  of  my  volumes;  but  sorry  I  am 
to  inform  you,  that  no  steps  have  yet  been  taken  to  put  that 
design  in  execution,  and  I  fear  none  will  be  taken  for  many 
months  to  come.  Unless  there  be  an  evident  certainty  of  profit, 
booksellers,  in  general,  are  very  indifferent  to  publish  works 
of  any  kind,  however  great  their  merits  may  be;  and  the  poor 
author's  feelings  are  little  regarded.  Few  men  have  known 
this  more  experimentally  than  myself.  I  have  sacrificed  every 
thing  to  publish  my  Ornithology — have  written  six  volumes 
and  am  engaged  on  the  seventh.  *  *  * 

"  I  have  frequently  conversed  with  Mr.  Bradford  about  pub- 
lishing a  translation  of  your  Forest  Trees;  and  you  may  rest  as- 
sured that,  should  it  be  undertaken,  I  will  use  all  my  influence 
in  its  favour.  Were  you  here  yourself,  I  have  no  doubt  but  it 
would  be  undertaken,  and  I  think  with  success,  for  all  who 
have  seen  it  admire  it.  I  procured  our  good  friend,  Mr.  Wm. 

•}•  Wilson's  ignorance  of  French  was  a  great  disadvantage  to  him;  and  he 
never  ceased  to  regret  his  want  of  instruction  in  a  tongue,  which  is  con- 
sidered not  only  important  to  the  scholar,  but  indispensable  to  the  naturalist. 
The  number  of  works,  in  the  various  departments  of  Natural  History,  which 
France  annually  produces,  is  truly  astonishing;  and  fortunate  is  that  student 
whose  acquirements  in  her  language  enable  him  to  profit  of  the  knowledge 
of  this  illustrious  nation. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clvii 

Bartram,  a  sight  of  it,  and  he  was  greatly  delighted  with  its  ap- 
pearance. One  of  my  friends  read  a  great  part  of  it  in  English 
to  him,  and  he  was  highly  satisfied.  *  *  *  * 

"Dr.  Barton  has  not  yet  published  his  General  Zoology  J 
which  he  has  been  announcing,  from  time  to  time,  for  so  many 
years.  It  is  much  easier  to  say  these  things  than  do  them.  *  * 

"  Mr.  Wm.  Bartram  is  still  as  you  left  him,  and  you  are  fre- 
quently the  subject  of  our  conversation  at  table.  I  have  made 
many  extensive  excursions  lately,  and  have  discovered,  in  all, 
about  forty  new  species  of  Land  Birds,  never  taken  notice  of 
by  any  other  writer.  I  am  now  engaged  on  the  Water  Birds; 
and  had  just  returned  yesterday  from  the  seashore  when  your 
letter  was  presented  to  me.  Dr.  H.  and  Mr.  P.  have  both  pub- 
licly announced  your  work,  but  as  no  translation  has  been  yet 
made,  it  has  not  been  reviewed  by  any  of  our  writers.  *  * 

"  Wishing  you  all  the  success  which  is  justly  due  to  the  la- 
bours, journies,  and  investigations,  you  have  made  in  behalf  of 
Natural  History,  I  remain,  &c." 

In  September,  1812,  Wilson  undertook  a  journey  into  the 
eastern  states,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  his  subscribers,  and 
settling  accounts  with  his  agents. 

TO  MR.   GEORGE  ORD. 

Boston,  October  13,  1812. 
"  Dear  Sir, 

"  It  is  not  in  my  power  at  present  to  give  you  any  thing 
more  than  a  slight  sketch  of  my  rambles  since  leaving  Philadel- 

•j-  This  work,  which  it  was  the  intention  of  the  late  learned  professor  to  en- 
title "  Elements  of  Zoology,"  after  being- fen  years  in  the  press,  was  advanced 
no  further  than  fifty-six  pages,  in  octavo,  at  the  death  of  the  author.  It  does 
not  appear  that  he  left  much  manuscript  matter  in  continuation,  consequent- 
ly the  public  will  derive  no  benefit  from  a  work,  which  is  too  incomplete  for 
publication.  The  printed  sheets  I  have  read,  not  only  with  satisfaction,  but 
instruction;  and  cannot  forbear  expressing  my  regret  that  an  undertaking, 
which  Dr.  Barton  certainly  knew  how  to  perform,  and  to  which  his  learning 
was  adequate,  should  have  been  suffered  to  perish  in  embryo.  The  art  of 
concentrating  his  talents,  was  one  for  which  the  professor  was  not  greatly 
distinguished. 


OF  WILSON. 

phia.  My  route  up  the  Hudson  afforded  great  pleasure,  mingled 
with  frequent  regret  that  you  were  not  along  with  me,  to  share 
the  enjoyment.  About  thirty  miles  south  of  Albany  we  passed 
within  ten  miles  of  the  celebrated  Catskill  mountains,  a  gigan- 
tic group,  clothed  with  forest  to  the  summits.  In  the  river  here 
I  found  our  common  reed  (Zizania  aquatica)  growing  in  great 
abundance  in  shoals  extending  along  the  middle  of  the  river.  I 
saw  flocks  of  Red-wings,  and  some  Black  Ducks,  but  no  Rail, 

or  Reed-birds. 

*  *  *  * 

"From  this  place  my  journey  led  me  over  a  rugged,  moun- 
tainous country,  to  Lake  Champlain,  along  which  I  coasted  as 
far  as  Burlington  in  Vermont.  Here  I  found  the  little  Coot-foot- 
ed Tringa  or  Phalarope*  that  you  sent  to  Mr.  Peale;  a  new  and 
elegantly  marked  Hawk;  and  observed  some  Black  Ducks. 
The  shores  are  alternate  sandy  bays,  and  rocky  headlands  run- 
ning into  the  lake.  Every  tavern  was  crowded  with  officers, 
soldiers  and  travellers.  Eight  of  us  were  left  without  a  bed ; 
but  having  an  excellent  great  coat,  I  laid  myself  down  in  a  cor- 
ner, with  a  determination  of  sleeping  in  defiance  of  the  uproar 
of  the  house,  and  the  rage  of  my  companions,  who  would  not 

disgrace  themselves  by  a  prostration  of  this  sort. 

*  *  *  * 

"  From  Lake  Champlain  I  traversed  a  rude  mountainous  re- 
gion to  Connecticut  river,  one  hundred  miles  above  Dartmouth 
College.  I  spent  several  days  with  the  gun  in  Groton,  and  Rye- 
gate  townships,  and  made  some  discoveries.  From  this  I  coast- 
ed along  the  Connecticut  to  a  place  called  Haverhill,  ten  miles 
from  the  foot  of  Moose-hillock,  one  of  the  highest  of  the  White 
Mountains  of  New  Hampshire.  I  spent  the  greater  part  of  a  day 
in  ascending  to  the  peak  of  one  of  these  majestic  mountains, 
whence  I  had  the  most  sublime  and  astonishing  view  that  was 
ever  afforded  me.  One  immensity  of  forest  lay  below,  extended 
on  all  sides  to  the  farthest  verge  of  the  horizon;  while  the  only 
prominent  objects  were  the  columns  of  smoke  from  burning 

*  P.  Fulicarius. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

woods,  that  rose  from  various  parts  of  the  earth  beneath  to  the 
heavens;  for  the  day  was  beautiful  and  serene.  Hence  I  travel- 
led to  Dartmouth,  and  thence  in  a  direct  course  to  Boston. 
From  Boston  I  passed  through  Portsmouth  to  Portland,  and 
got  some  things  new;  my  return  was  by  a  different  route.  I 
have  procured  three  new  and  beautiful  Hawks;  and  have  glean- 
ed up  a  stock  of  remarks  that  will  be  useful  to  me  hereafter. 

"  I  hope,  my  dear  sir,  that  you  have  been  well  since  I  left 
you.  I  have  myself  been  several  times  afflicted  with  a  violent 
palpitation  of  the  heart,*  and  want  to  try  whether  a  short  voy- 
age by  sea  will  not  be  beneficial. 

"  In  New  England  the  rage  of  war,  the  virulence  of  politics, 
and  the  pursuit  of  commercial  speculations,  engross  every  fa- 
culty. The  voice  of  Science,  and  the  charms  of  Nature,  un- 
less these  last  present  themselves  in  the  form  of  prize  sugars, 
coffee,  or  rum,  are  treated  with  contempt." 

The  excursion  to  the  White  Mountains,  above  mentioned, 
was  succeeded  by  rather  an  unpleasant  occurrence.  The  good 
people  of  Haverhill  perceiving  a  stranger  among  them  of  very 
inquisitive  habits,  and  who  evinced  great  zeal  in  exploring  the 
country,  sagaciously  concluded  that  he  was  a  spy  from  Canada, 
employed  in  taking  sketches  of  the  place,  to  facilitate  the  in- 
vasion of  the  enemy.  Under  these  impressions  it  was  thought 
conducive  to  the  public  safety  that  Wilson  should  be  appre- 
hended; and  he  was  accordingly  taken  into  the  custody  of  a 
magistrate,  who,  on  being  made  acquainted  with  his  character, 
and  the  nature  of  his  visit,  politely  dismissed  him,  with  many 
apologies  for  the  mistake. 

The  publication  of  the  Ornithology  now  advanced  as  rapidly 
as  a  due  regard  to  correctness  and  elegance  would  admit.  In 
order  to  become  better  acquainted  with  the  feathered  tribes, 
and  to  observe  their  migrations  with  more  accuracy,  as  well 
as  to  enjoy  the  important  advantages  of  a  rural  retirement, 
Wilson  resided  the  better  part  of  the  years  1811-12  at  the  Bo- 

*  Tliis  distressing-  disease,  so  well  known  to  the  literary  student,  Wilson 
was  often  afflicted  with. 


dx  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

tanic  Garden  of  his  friend,  Mr.  Bartram.  There  removed  from 
the  noise,  bustle,  and  interruption  of  the  metropolis,  he  was 
enabled  to  dispose  of  his  time  to  the  best  advantage;  for  when 
fatigued  with  close  application  within  doors,  to  recruit  his  mind 
and  body  he  had  only  to  cross  the  threshold  of  his  abode,  and 
he  at  once  found  himself  surrounded  with  those  acquaintance, 
the  observing  of  whose  simple  manners  not  only  afforded  the 
most  agreeable  recreation,  but  who  were  perpetually  contri- 
buting to  the  great  undertaking  which  he  was  earnestly  labour- 
ing to  complete. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1812,  Wilson  was  chosen  a  member 
of  the  Society  of  Artists  of  the  United  States;  but  in  the  spring 
of  the  succeeding  year,  a  greater  honour  was  conferred  upon 
him,  by  his  being  elected  a  member  of  the  American  Philoso- 
phical Society  of  Philadelphia. 

TO  MR.    WM.   BARTRAM. 

Philadelphia,  April  21,  1813. 
"  My  dear  friend, 

"  I  have  been  extremely  busy  these  several  months,  my 
colourists  having  all  left  me;  so  I  have  been  obliged  to  do  ex- 
tra duty  this  last  winter.  Next  week  I  shall  publish  my 
seventh  volume;  and  shall  send  you  your  copy  with  the  earliest 
opportunity.  I  am  now  engaged  with  the  ducks,  all  of  which, 
that  I  am  acquainted  with,  will  be  comprehended  in  the  eighth 
volume. 

"  Since  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  I  have  hardly  left 
the  house  half  an  hour;  and  I  long  most  ardently  to  breathe  once 
more  the  fresh  air  of  the  country,  and  gaze  on  the  lovely  face 
of  Nature.  Will  it  be  convenient  for  the  family  to  accommo- 
date me  (as  I  shall  be  alone)  this  summer?  Please  to  let  me 
know. 

"  I  lately  received  from  the  celebrated  Mr.  West,  a  proof 
impression  of  his  grand  historical  picture  of  the  death  of  Admi- 
ral Nelson — a  present  which  I  highly  value. 

"  The  Philosophical  Society  of  Philadelphia  have  done  me 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clxi 

the  honour  to  elect  me  a  member,  for  which  I  must  certainly, 
in  gratitude,  make  them  a  communication  on  some  subject, 
this  summer.  I  long  very  much  to  hear  from  you;  and,  with 
my  best  wishes  for  your  health  and  happiness,  am  very  truly 

Your  sincere  friend." 

As  soon  as  the  seventh  volume  of  the  Ornithology  was  pub- 
lished, its  author,  and  the  writer  of  this  sketch,  set  out  on  their 
last  expedition  to  Great  Egg-harbour.  *  There  they  remained 
for  nearly  four  weeks,  constantly  occupied  in  collecting  mate- 
rials for  the  eighth  volume,  which  Wilson  had  resolved  should 
in  no  respects  fall  short  of  the  preceding;  but  which  should,  if 
possible,  enhance  his  reputation,  by  the  value  of  its  details, 
and  the  beauty  of  its  embellishments. 

Immediately  on  his  return  to  Philadelphia,  he  engaged  anew 
in  his  arduous  avocation;  and  by  the  month  of  August  he  had 
succeeded  in  completing  the  letter-press  of  the  eighth  volume, 
though  the  whole  of  the  plates  were  not  finished.  But  unfor- 
tunately his  great  anxiety  to  conclude  the  work,  condemned 
him  to  an  excess  of  toil,  which,  inflexible  as  was  his  mind,  his 
bodily  frame  was  unable  to  bear.  He  was  likewise,  by  this 
flood  of  business,  prevented  from  residing  in  the  country, 
where  hours  of  mental  lassitude  might  have  been  beguiled  by  a 
rural  walk,  or  the  rough  but  invigorating  exercise  of  the 
gun.  At  length  he  was  attacked  by  a  disease,  which,  perhaps, 
at  another  period  of  his  life  might  not  have  been  attended  with 
fatal  effects,  but  which  now,  in  his  debilitated  state  of  body, 
and  harassed  mind,  proved  a  mighty  foe,  whose  assaults  all  the 
combined  efforts  of  friendship,  science  and  skill,  could  not  re- 
pel. The  Dysentery,  after  a  sickness  of  ten  days,  closed  the 
mortal  career  of  Alexander  Wilson,  on  the  twenty-third  of 
August,  1813. 

It  may  not  be  going  too  far  to  maintain,  that  in  no  age  or  na- 
tion has  there  ever  arisen  one  more  eminently  qualified  for  a 
naturalist  than  the  subject  of  these  memoirs.  Pie  was  not  only 

*  Wilson  made  six  journies  to  the  coast  of  New  Jersey,  in  pursuit  of  wa- 
ter birds,  which  abound  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Great  Egg-Harbour. 
VOL.    I. X 


dxii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  the  works  of  creation,  but  he  was 
consistent  in  research;  and  permitted  no  dangers  or  fatigues  to 
abate  his  ardour,  or  relax  his  exertions.  He  inured  himself  to 
hardships  by  frequent  and  laborious  exercise;  and  was  never 
more  happy  than  when  employed  in  some  enterprise,  which 
promised  from  its  difficulties  the  novelties  of  discovery.  What- 
ever was  obtained  with  ease,  to  him  appeared  to  be  attended, 
comparatively  speaking,  with  small  interest:  the  acquisitions 
of  labour  alone  seemed  worthy  of  his  ambition.  He  was  no 
closet  philosopher — exchanging  the  frock  of  activity  for  the 
night-gown  and  slippers.  He  was  indebted  for  his  ideas,  not 
to  books,  which  err,  but  to  Nature  which  is  infallible;  and  the 
inestimable  transcript  of  her  works,  which  he  has  bequeathed 
to  us,  possesses  a  charm  which  affects  us  the  more,  the  better 
acquainted  we  become  with  the  delightful  original.  His  in- 
quisitive habits  procured  him  from  others  a  vast  heterogeneous 
mass  of  information;  but  he  had  the  happy  talent  of  selecting 
from  this  rubbish  whatever  was  valuable.  His  perseverance 
was  uncommon;  and  when  engaged  in  pursuit  of  a  particular 
object,  he  would  never  relinquish  it,  while  there  was  a  chance 
of  success.  His  powers  of  observation  were  very  acute,  and 
he  seldom  erred  in  judgment,  when  favoured  with  a  fair  op- 
portunity of  investigation. 

Credulity  has  been  aptly  termed  "  the  vice  of  naturalists;" 
but  it  may  be  said,  to  the  honour  of  our  author,  that  it  would 
be  difficult  to  find  one  less  infected  with  this  vice  than  himself. 
His  mind,  strongly  imbued  with  common  sense,  and  familiar 
with  the  general  laws  of  nature,  could  not  be  imposed  upon  by 
appearances;  and  marvellous  narratives,  in  that  science  which 
he  had  so  much  at  heart,  were  the  objects  of  his  decided  dis- 
approbation. The  ridicule  and  scorn  with  which  he  treated 
the  hypothesis  of  the  annual  torpidity  of  swallows  are  well 
known;  and  he  regarded  with  equal  contempt  those  tales  of  the 
fascinating  faculty  attributed  to  serpents,  which  are  yet  but  too 
well  adapted  to  the  taste  of  the  multitude  to  be  effectively  dis- 
credited. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

Having  been  "  something  of  a  traveller,"  it  would  be  rea- 
sonable to  conclude  that  Wilson  had  been  familiar  with  "  novel 
sights;"  but  we  no  where  find  that  he  ever  beheld  a  toad  leap- 
ing into  day,  from  its  rocky  domicil  of  five  thousand  years,  or 
a  mermaid  "  sleeking  her  soft  alluring  locks"  in  the  sun.  That 
wonder  of  the  "  vasty  deep,"  the  Sea  Serpent  of  Gloucester,  had 
not  attracted  the  attention  of  the  public  in  his  time;  but  if  it 
had,  there  is  little  doubt  that  he  would  have  promptly  exerted 
himself  to  expose  one  of  the  grossest  fictions  that  was  ever 
palmed  upon  the  credulity  of  mankind. 

That  the  industry  of  Wilson  was  great,  his  work  will  for 
ever  testify.  And  our  admiration  is  excited,  that  so  much 
should  have  been  performed  in  so  short  a  time.  When  we 
take  into  consideration  the  state  of  our  country,  as  respects  the 
cultivation  of  the  physical  sciences;  and  that  in  the  walk  of 
Ornithology,  particularly,  no  one,  deserving  the  title  of  a  Na- 
turalist, had  yet  presumed  to  tread;  when  we  view  the  labours 
of  foreigners,  who  had  interested  themselves  in  our  natural  pro- 
ductions, and  find  how  incompetent  they  were,  through  a  de- 
ficiency of  correct  information,  to  instruct;  and  then  when  we 
reflect  that  a  single  individual,  "  without  patron,  fortune,  or 
recompense,77  accomplished,  in  the  space  of  seven  years,  as 
much  as  the  combined  body  of  European  naturalists  took  a  cen- 
tury to  achieve,  we  feel  almost  inclined  to  doubt  the  evidence 
upon  which  this  conclusion  is  founded.  But  it  is  a  fact,  which 
we  feel  a  pride  in  asserting,  that  we  have  as  faithful,  complete, 
and  interesting,  an  account  of  our  birds,  in  the  volumes  of  the 
American  Ornithology,  as  the  Europeans  can  at  this  moment 
boast  of  possessing  of  theirs.  Let  those  who  question  the  cor- 
rectness of  this  opinion  examine  for  themselves,  and  determine 
according  to  the  dictates  of  an  unbiassed  judgment. 

We  need  no  other  evidence  of  the  unparalleled  industry  of 
our  author,  than  the  fact,  that  of  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight  species,  which  have  been  figured  and  described  in  his 
Ornithology,*  fifty -six  had  not  been  taken  notice  of  by  any 
*  The  whole  number  of  birds  figured  is  three  hundred  and  twenty. 


clxiv  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

former  naturalist;*  and  several  of  the  latter  number  are  so  ex- 
tremely rare,  that  the  specimens,  from  which  the  figures  were 
taken,  were  the  only  ones  that  he  was  ever  enabled  to  obtain. 
This  expensive  collection  of  birds  was  the  result  of  many 
months  of  unwearied  research,  amongst  forests,  swamps  and 
morasses,  exposed  to  all  the  dangers,  privations  and  fatigues, 
incident  to  such  an  undertaking.  What  but  a  remarkable  pas- 
sion for  the  pursuit,  joined  with  the  desire  of  fame,  could  have 
supported  a  solitary  individual,  in  labours  of  body  and  mind, 
compared  to  which  the  bustling  avocations  of  common  life  are 
mere  holy-day  activity  or  recreation! 

Independent  on  that  part  of  his  work  which  was  Wilson's 
particular  province,  viz.  the  drawing  and  describing  of  his  sub- 
jects, he  was  necessitated  to  occupy  much  of  his  time  in  colour- 
ing the  plates;  his  sole  resource  for  support  being  in  this  em- 
ployment, as  he  had  been  compelled  to  relinquish  the  superin- 
tendence of  the  Cyclopaedia.  This  drudgery  of  colouring  the 
plates,  is  a  circumstance  much  to  be  regretted,  as  the  work 
would  have  proceeded  more  rapidly  if  he  could  have  avoided 
it.  One  of  his  principal  difficulties,  in  effect,  and  that  which 
caused  him  no  small  uneasiness,  was  the  process  of  colouring. 
If  this  could  have  been  done  solely  by  himself;  or,  as  he  was 
obliged  to  seek  assistance  therein,  if  it  could  have  been  per- 
formed immediately  under  his  eye,  he  would  have  been  re- 
lieved of  much  anxiety;  and  would  have  better  maintained  a 

*  In  this  statement  of  the  number  of  new  species,  I  followed  Wilson's  own 
catalogue,  wherein  they  are  indicated.  But  it  is  proper  to  observe,  that 
Vieillot's  "  Oiseaux  de  UAmtriqut  Septentrionale"  were  never  seen  by  our 
author;  otherwise  he  would  have  taken  notice  that  some  of  his  supposed  non- 
descripts were  figured  and  described  in  the  above-mentioned  costly  work, 
which  was  published  in  Paris  in  the  year  1807.  Vieillot  travelled  in  the  Uni- 
ted States,  with  the  view  of  giving  an  account  of  our  birds?  he  published 
only  two  folio  volumes,  with  coloured  plates;  his  publisher  failed;  and  the 
copper-plates  of  the  work,  including  those  intended  for  the  third  volume, 
were  sold  at  public  sale  for  old  copper;  and  are  now  (1825)  in  Philadelphia, 
and  the  property  of  William  Maclure,  Esq.,  the  President  of  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clxv 

due  equanimity;  his  mind  being  daily  ruffled  by  the  negligence 
of  his  assistants,  who  too  often,  through  a  deplorable  want  of 
skill  and  taste,  made  disgusting  caricatures  of  what  were  in- 
tended to  be  modest  imitations  of  simple  nature.  *  Hence  much 
of  his  precious  time  was  spent  in  the  irksome  employment  of 
inspecting  and  correcting  the  imperfections  of  others.  This 
waste  of  his  stated  periods  of  labour,  he  felt  himself  constrain- 
ed to  compensate,  by  encroachments  on  those  hours  which 
Nature,  tenacious  of  her  rights,  claims  as  her  own:  hours  which 
she  consecrates  to  rest — which  she  will  not  forego  without 
a  struggle;  and  which  all  those,  who  would  preserve  unimpair- 
ed the  vigour  of  their  mind  and  body,  must  respect.  Of  this 
intense  and  destructive  application  his  friends  failed  not  to  ad- 
monish him;  but  to  their  kind  remonstrances  he  would  reply, 
that  "  life  is  short,  and  without  exertion  nothing  can  be  per- 
formed." But  the  true  cause  of  this  extraordinary  toil  was  his 
poverty.  By  the  terms  of  agreement  with  his  publisher,  he 
was  to  furnish,  at  his  own  cost,  all  the  drawings  and  literary 
matter  for  the  work;  and  to  have  the  whole  under  his  control 
and  superintendence.  The  publisher  stipulated  to  find  funds 
for  the  completion  of  the  volumes.  To  support  the  heavy  ex- 

*  In  the  preface  to  the  third  volume,  Wilson  states  the  anxiety  which  he 
had  suffered  on  account  of  the  colouring1  of  the  plates;  and  of  his  having 
made  an  arrangement,  whereby  his  difficulties  on  that  score  had  been  sur- 
mounted. This  arrangement  proved  in  the  end  of  greater  injury  than  benefit. 

The  art  of  printing  in  colours  is  but  little  known  in  our  country,  and  sel- 
dom practised;  and  the  few  attempts  that  have  been  made  have  only  partial- 
ly succeeded.  An  experiment  of  this  nature  was  undertaken  upon  several 
plates  of  this  work,  but  with  a  success  by  no  means  satisfactory.  When 
Wilson  commenced  his  labours,  every  thing  relating  to  them  was  new  to 
him;  and  the  difficulty  of  fixing  the  proper  tints,  upon  an  uniform  black 
ground,  was  the  greater,  inasmuch  as  he  had  to  experiment  himself,  unaided 
by  the  counsel  or  example  of  those  to  whom  the  process  was  familiar. 

The  writer  of  this  narrative  has  thought  it  his  duty  to  state  so.ne  of  the 
embarrassments  under  which  Wilson  laboured,  in  the  department  of  colour- 
ing the  plates,  in  order  to  obviate  criticisms,  which  too  many  are  disposed  to 
make,  on  supposed  faults;  but  if  all  the  difficulties  were  made  known,  there 
would  be  no  fear  for  the  result,  among  readers  of  candour  and  understanding- 


Clxvi  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

pense  of  procuring  materials,  and  other  unavoidable  expendi- 
tures, Wilson's  only  resource,  as  has  been  stated,  was  in  co- 
louring the  plates. 

In  the  preface  to  the  fifth  volume  he  observes:  "  The  publi- 
cation of  an  original  work  of  this  kind,  in  this  country,  has 
been  attended  with  difficulties,  great,  and,  it  must  be  confessed, 
sometimes  discouraging  to  the  author,  whose  only  reward 
hitherto  has  been  the  favourable  opinion  of  his  fellow-citizens, 
and  the  pleasure  of  the  pursuit. 

"  Let  but  the  generous  hand  of  patriotism  be  stretched  forth 
to  assist  and  cherish  the  rising  arts  and  literature  of  our  coun- 
try, and  both  will  most  assuredly,  and  that  at  no  remote  peri- 
od, shoot  forth,  increase  and  flourish,  with  a  vigour,  a  splen- 
dour and  usefulness,  inferior  to  no  other  on  earth." 

We  have  here  an  affirmation  that  the  author  had  laboured 
without  reward,  except  what  was  conferred  by  inefficient  praise; 
and  an  eloquent  appeal  to  the  generosity  and  patriotism  of  his 
fellow-citizens.  Seven  illustrious  cities  disputed  the  honour 
of  having  given  birth  to  the  Prince  of  Epic  song.  Philadel- 
phia first  beheld  that  phenomenon,  the  "  American  Ornitholo- 
gy," rising  amidst  her  boasted  opulence,  to  vindicate  the  claims 
of  a  calumniated  portion  of  creation;  and  to  furnish  her  literary 
pride  with  a  subject  of  exultation  for  ages  to  come.  Yet  duty 
calls  upon  us  to  record  a  fact,  which  may  cause  our  native  city 
to  feel  the  glow  of  shame.  Of  all  her  literati,  her  men  of  be- 
nevolence, taste  and  riches,  SEVENTY  only,  to  the  period  of  the 
author's  decease,  had  the  liberality  to  countenance  him  by  a 
subscription,  more  than  half  of  whom  were  tradesmen,  artists, 
and  persons  of  the  middle  class  of  society;  whilst  the  little  city 
of  New  Orleans,  in  the  short  space  of  seventeen  days,  furnish- 
ed SIXTY  subscribers  to  the  "  American  Ornithology!" 

Wilson  was  possessed  of  the  nicest  sense  of  honour.  In  all 
his  dealings  he  was  not  only  scrupulously  just,  but  highly  ge- 
nerous. His  veneration  for  truth  was  exemplary.  His  dispo- 
sition was  social  and  affectionate.  His  benevolence  was  exten- 
sive. He  was  remarkably  temperate  in  eating  and  drinking, 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clxvii 

his  love  of  study  and  retirement  preserving  him  from  the  con- 
taminating influence  of  the  convivial  circle.  But  as  no  one  is 
perfect,  Wilson  in  a  small  degree  partook  of  the  weakness  of 
humanity.  He  was  of  the  Genus  irritabile,  and  was  obstinate 
in  opinion.  It  ever  gave  him  pleasure  to  acknowledge  error, 
when  the  conviction  resulted  from  his  own  judgment  alone, 
but  he  could  not  endure  to  be  told  of  his  mistakes.  Hence  his 
associates  had  to  be  sparing  of  their  criticisms,  through  a  fear 
of  forfeiting  his  friendship.  With  almost  all  his  friends  he  had 
occasionally,  arising  from  a  collision  of  opinion,  some  slight 
misunderstanding,  which  was  soon  passed  over,  leaving  no  dis- 
agreeable impression.  But  an  act  of  disrespect  he  could  ill 
brook,  and  a  wilful  injury  he  would  seldom  forgive. 

In  his  person  he  was  of  a  middle  stature,  of  a  thin  habit  of 
body;  his  cheek-bones  projected,  and  his  eyes,  though  hollow, 
displayed  considerable  vivacity  and  intelligence;  his  complex- 
ion was  sallow,  his  mien  thoughtful;  his  features  were  coarse, 
and  there  was  a  dash  of  vulgarity  in  his  physiognomy,  which 
struck  the  observer  at  the  first  view,  but  which  failed  to  im- 
press one  on  acquaintance.  His  walk  was  quick  when  travel- 
ling, so  much  so  that  it  was  difficult  for  a  companion  to  keep 
pace  with  him ;  but  when  in  the  forests,  in  pursuit  of  birds,  he 
was  deliberate  and  attentive — he  was,  as  it  were,  all  eyes,  and 
all  ears. 

Such  was  Alexander  Wilson.  When  the  writer  of  this  hum- 
ble biography  indulges  in  retrospection,  he  again  finds  himself 
in  the  society  of  that  individual,  whose  life  was  a  series  of  those 
virtues  which  dignify  human  nature;  he  attends  him  in  his 
wild-wood  rambles,  and  listens  to  those  pleasing  observations, 
which  the  magnificence  of  creation  was  wont  to  give  birth  to; 
he  sits  at  his  feet,  and  receives  the  instructions  of  one,  in  sci- 
ence, so  competent  to  teach;  he  beholds  him  in  the  social  cir- 
cle, and  notes  the  complacency  which  he  inspired  in  all  around. 
But  the  transition  from  the  past  to  the  present  quickens  that 
anguish  with  which  his  heart  must  be  filled,  who  casts  a  me- 
lancholy look  on  those  scenes,  a  few  years  since  endeared  by 


clxviii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

the  presence  of  one,  united  to  him  by  a  conformity  of  taste, 
disposition  and  pursuit,  and  who  reflects  that  that  beloved 
friend  can  revisit  them  no  more. 

It  was  the  intention  of  Wilson,  on  the  completion  of  his  Or- 
nithology, to  publish  an  edition  in  four  volumes  octavo;  the 
figures  to  be  engraved  in  wood,  somewhat  after  the  manner  of 
Bewick's  British  Birds;  and  coloured  with  all  the  care  that  had 
been  bestowed  on  the  original  plates.  If  he  had  lived  to  effect 
this  scheme,  the  public  would  have  been  put  in  possession  of  a 
work  of  considerable  elegance,  as  respects  typography  and  il- 
lustrations; wherein  the  subjects  would  have  been  arranged  in 
systematical  order;  and  the  whole  at  the  cost  of  not  more  than 
one-fifth  part  of  the  quarto  edition. 

He  likewise  meditated  a  work  on  the  quadrupeds  of  the  Uni- 
ted States;  to  be  printed  in  the  same  splendid  style  of  the  Or- 
nithology; the  figures  to  be  engraved  with  the  highest  finish, 
and  by  the  best  artists  of  our  country.  How  much  has  science 
lost  in  the  death  of  this  ingenious  and  indefatigable  naturalist! 

His  remains  were  deposited  in  the  cemetery  of  the  Swedish 
church,  in  the  district  of  Southwark,  Philadelphia.  While  in 
the  enjoyment  of  health,  he  had  conversed  with  a  friend  on  the 
subject  of  his  death,  and  expressed  a  wish  to  be  buried  in  some 
rural  spot,  sacred  to  peace  and  solitude,  whither  the  charms  of 
nature  might  invite  the  steps  of  the  votary  of  the  Muses,  and 
the  lover  of  science,  and  where  the  birds  might  sing  over  his 
grave. 

It  has  been  an  occasion  of  regret  to  those  of  his  friends,  to 
whom  was  confided  the  mournful  duty  of  ordering  his  funeral, 
that  his  desire  had  not  been  made  known  to  them,  otherwise  it 
should  have  been  piously  observed. 

A  plain  marble  tomb  marks  the  spot  where  lie  the  ashes  of 
this  celebrated  man;  it  bears  the  following  inscription: 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clxix 

"  This  Monument 

Covers  the  Remains  of 

ALEXANDER  WILSON, 

Author  of  the 

AMERICAN  ORNITHOLOGY. 
He  was  Born  in  Renfrewshire,  Scotland, 

On  the  6  July,   1766; 
Emigrated  to  the  United  States 

In  the  Year  1794; 
And  Died  in  Philadelphia 

Of  the  Dysentery, 

On  the  23  August,  1813, 

Aged  47." 

I  shall  now  offer  some  brief  remarks  upon  those  writings  of 
Wilson,  which  have  fallen  under  my  notice;  and  in  the  per- 
formance of  this  task,  it  will  become  my  duty  to  speak  of  a 
work,  which  I  had  hoped  would  be  permitted  to  lie  in  obli- 
vion, but  which  either  the  indiscreet  partiality  of  friends,  or 
the  avarice  of  a  publisher,  has  lately  dragged  forth  to  the  view 
of  the  public.  From  the  volume  which  the  author  published 
himself,  in  the  year  1791,  and  which  is  entitled,  "  Poems,  Hu- 
morous, Satirical  and  Serious,"  a  selection  was  made,  and  pub- 
lished, in  1816,  at  Paisley  and  at  London,  under  the  title  of 
"  Poems  chiefly  in  the  Scottish  dialect;  by  Alexander  Wilson, 
author  of  American  Ornithology. "  When  I  commenced  reading 
this  selection,  it  was  my  intention  to  note  its  beauties  and  de- 
fects; but  when  I  found  how  greatly  the  latter  predominated, 
it  occurred  to  me  that  no  good  could  result  from  a  critical  ex- 
amination of  a  work  which  few  would  read,  which  contains 
nothing  deserving  of  applause;  and  which,  if  it  has  hitherto  es- 
caped criticism,  it  is  because  it  has  been  deemed  unworthy  of 
a  deliberate  investigation. 

The  early  writings  of  but  few  authors  are  worthy  of  being 
read,  except  for  the  purpose  of  tracing  the  progress  of  the  mind. 
When  one  surveys  the  work  in  question  with  this  view,  one 
is  astonished  to  find  no  indication  of  that  genius  which  is  so 

VOL.  i. — Y 


clxx  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

conspicuous  in  after  life;  a  barrenness  of  invention,  a  poverty 
of  expression,  a  deficiency  of  taste  and  judgment,  are  its  cha- 
racteristics. 

The  author  of  the  t(  Biographical  Sketch/'  appended  to  the 
Selection*  above  mentioned,  says,  "  We  have  it  from  Wilson's 
acquaintance,  that  many  of  the  poems  he  had  written  were 
committed  to  the  flames,  without  a  moment's  consideration, 
because  the  subject  had  lost  its  interest  with  himself."  The 
writer  thus  gravely  accounts  for  this  conduct:  "  This  instabili- 
ty of  conduct  was,  no  doubt,  the  result  of  untoward  circum- 
stances, operating  upon  a  mind  ardent  in  the  pursuit  of  some- 

*  It  appears  by  the  advertisement  affixed  to  this  selection,  that  it  "  was- 
made  and  printed  under  the  direction  of  a  gentleman  who  has  since  paid  the 
debt  of  nature;"  and  that  "  it  was  his  intention  to  give  the  life  of  Wilson." 
If  one  were  allowed  to  form  a  conjecture  of  the  abilities  of  this  editor,  by  the 
judgment  displayed  in  his  choice,  one  would  have  no  reason  to  regret  that 
his  task  was  never  accomplished.  How  he  could  admit  such  productions  as 
"  The  Wasp's  Revenge,"  and  the  "  Verses  on  the  Death  of  a  Favourite 
Spaniel,"  one  may  well  inquire. 

That  Wilson  himself  entertained  a  mean  opinion  of  his  boyish  publication, 
I  am  authorised  to  assert  from  the  circumstance,  that,  though  possessing  a 
copy,  he  would  never  allow  me  to  read  it,  notwithstanding  I  frequently  urg- 
ed him  to  grant  me  this  favour. 

An  itinerant  Scotchman  once  called  upon  Wilson's  executors,  with  a  re- 
quest that  he  might  be  allowed  the  privilege  of  printing  an  edition  of  his  poems, 
urging,  in  justification  of  the  proposition,  his  peculiar  fitness,  by  his  know- 
ledge of  the  Scottish  dialect,  for  extending  the  fame  of  the  author  of  the  Ame- 
rican Ornithology!  It  is  nev  ^ss  to  add  that  this  poor  schemer  was  dismissed 
\vith  the  reply,  that  the  fame  o,  Wilson  did  not  stand  in  need  of  his  assistance 

It  is  much  to  the  honour  of  the  American  press,  that  it  has  abstained  from 
re-printing  the  work  which,  with  unfeigned  sorrow,  I  have  been  compelled, 
by  a  sense  of  duty,  to  animadvert  so  severely  upon.  But  I  must  confess,  that 
when  a  brother  weaver,  Robert  Tannahill,  was  introduced  to  our  notice,  I 
trembled  for  the  fate  of  Wilson. 

As  has  been  stated,  Wilson's  poem  of  the  "  Foresters"  was  first  publish- 
ed in  the  Port  Folio.  Shortly  after  the  decease  of  its  author,  a  very  modest 
and  honest  gentleman,  living  in  Pennsylvania,  undertook  its  republication; 
and  actually  took  out  a  copy-right  for  the  same.  That  the  poem  was  re -print- 
ed needs  not  excite  our  wonder;  but  that  its  sale  should  have  been  monopo- 
lized by  a  patent,  is  a  trick  of  trade  well  worthy  of  remark. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clxxi 

thing  yet  undefined,  or  uncertain  of  the  path  it  should  follow, 
to  attain  that  eminence  and  independence  after  which  it  so  ar- 
dently aspired. "  Would  it  not  be  a  more  rational  supposition, 
that,  as  he  advanced  in  knowledge,  he  was  taught  to  reject 
what  he  could  not  but  be  convinced  was  unworthy  of  the  pub- 
lic eye?  If  we  may  form  a  conjecture  of  what  was  destroyed, 
by  what  was  sanctioned  by  his  own  act  of  publication,  there  is 
certainly  no  cause  to  mourn  the  loss;  and  one  can  hardly  for- 
bear wishing  that  the  whole  had  met  a  similar  fate. 

Of  all  the  poetical  productions  of  Wilson,  written  while  in 
Scotland,  his  tale  of  "  Watty  and  Meg"  is  the  only  one  that 
has  obtained  popularity.  In  Cromek's  (f  Select  Scottish  Songs" 
it  is  thus  introduced:  "  The  reader  is  here  presented  with  an 
exquisite  picture  from  low  life,  drawn  with  all  the  fidelity  and 
exactness  of  Teniers,  or  Ostade,  and  enlivened  with  the  hu- 
mour of  Hogarth.  The  story  excites  as  much  interest  as  if  it 
had  been  written  in  a  dramatic  form,  and  really  represented. 
The  interest  heightens  as  it  proceeds,  and  is  supported  with 
wonderful  spirit  to  the  close  of  the  poem. 

66  It  must  have  been  in  no  small  degree  gratifying  to  the  feel- 
ings of  the  author,  who  published  it  anonymously,  that,  during 
a  rapid  sale  of  seven  or  eight  editions,  the  public,  universally, 
ascribed  it  to  the  pen  of  Burns.  The  author  of  <  Will  and 
Jean,  or  Scotland's  Scaith,'  had  the  candour  to  acknowledge 
to  the  editor  that  he  was  indebted  to  this  exquisite  poem  for 
the  foundation  of  that  popular  performance. " 

This  tale  is  certainly  told  in  a  spirited  manner;  but  whether 
it  is  entitled  to  all  the  encomiums  which  have  been  lavished 
upon  it  or  not,  may  admit  of  a  question.  The  incidents  are  all 
common-place:  a  dram-drinking  husband  seeking  refuge,  in  an 
ale-house,  from  a  scolding-wife,  who  pursues  him  thither,  and 
upbraids  him,  in  no  gentle  terms,  for  deserting  his  home  and 
family,  and  spending  his  time  and  substance  among  drunken 
blackguards.  A  pot  companion  had  advised  him  to  try  the  ex- 
periment of  threatening  to  abandon  her,  in  order  to  bring  her 
into  subjection:  a  scheme  which  had  had  a  happy  effect  in 


LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

taming  his  own  wife,  who  had  given  evidence  of  a  shrewish 
disposition.  The  experiment  being  made  by  Watty,  Meg  is 
brought  to  terms.  She  solemnly  promises  to  keep  her  temper 
— never  again  to  scold  her  husband — never  to  follow  him  to 
the  beer-house — never  to  put  drunken  to  his  name — never  to 
look  sad  when  he  shall  come  home  late — never  to  kick  his 
shins,  or  pull  his  hair;  and  lastly  she  consents,  with  tears,  that 
their  hard  earnings  shall  be  kept  solely  by  himself.  The  hus- 
band, rejoiced  at  this  evidence  of  her  humility  and  contrition, 
kisses  her,  and  so  the  story  ends. 

In  the  management  of  this  tale  there  is  little  art  displayed; 
there  is  some  natural  description,  it  is  true;  but  the  laws  of  po- 
etical justice  are  but  ill  observed,  when  misconduct  so  glaring 
as  that  of  Watty's  is  passed  over  without  censure;  and  he  is 
allowed  to  triumph  over  the  subjection  of  a  poor  woman,  whose 
temper  had  become  soured  by  his  idleness  and  debauchery. 

Such  stories  are  not  calculated  to  do  good;  on  the  contrary 
they  may  promote  vice;  and  surely  the  vice  of  intemperance  is 
no  trifling  evil  in  society.  To  blend  instruction  with  amuse- 
ment, we  are  told,  should  be  the  aim  of  all  writers  of  fiction, 
particularly  poets,  whose  influence  over  the  mind  has  always 
been  predominant.  It  is  justly  remarked,  by  an  elegant  wri- 
ter,* that  "  there  seems  to  be  something  in  poetry  that  raises 
the  possessors  of  that  very  singular  talent  far  higher  in  the  es- 
timation of  the  world  in  general,  than  those  who  excel  in  any 
other  of  the  refined  arts. "  Then  let  poets  take  heed  lest  they 
misapply  those  talents,  which,  if  properly  directed,  may  be 
made  subservient  to  the  best  interests  of  society. 

In  justice  to  our  author  I  would  remark,  that  though  fond  of 
describing  scenes  of  low  life,  with  which  his  education  and  ha- 
bits had  rendered  him  familiar,  yet  he  appeared  to  have  es- 
caped the  contaminating  influence  of  vulgar  associates,  when 
arrived  at  manhood.  His  conduct,  in  this  country,  was  truly 
exemplary.  This  observation,  though  out  of  place,  I  here 

*  Melmoth's  Fitzosborne,  letter  53. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clxxiii 

make,  as  it  seems  to  belong,  incidentally,  to  the  subject  upon 
which  I  have  been  commenting. 

The  last  edition  of  Watty  and  Meg,  published  under  the  in- 
spection of  the  author,  and  by  him  corrected,  was  that  given  in 
the  Port  Folio  for  October,  1810. 

The  poetic  effusions  of  Wilson,  after  he  came  to  America, 
afford  evidence  of  an  improved  taste.  He  acquired  a  facility  of 
versification  by  practice;  as  his  mind  expanded  with  knowledge, 
his  judgment  received  an  accession  of  strength;  and  he  displays 
a  fancy  which  we  look  for  in  vain  in  his  juvenile  essays.  But 
we  must  be  understood  as  comparing  him  only  with  himself, 
at  different  periods  of  his  life.  Whether  or  not  he  ever  attain- 
ed to  positive  excellence  in  poetry,  may  be  a  subject  of  dispute. 

In  his  "  Solitary  Tutor,"  we  are  presented  with  a  picture  of 
himself,  while  occupied  in  teaching  a  country  school.  The  de- 
scription of  his  place  of  residence,  his  schoolhouse,  the  adjoin- 
ing forest,  where  many  of  his  leisure  hours  were  passed,  and 
where  he  first  commenced  studying  the  manners  of  those  birds, 
which  he  subsequently  immortalized  in  his  splendid  work,  is 
animated  and  graphical.  The  fabric  of  these  verses  reminds 
us  of  the  Minstrel;  and  that  he  had  this  delightful  poem  in  his 
eye,  we  are  convinced  by  some  of  the  descriptions  and  senti- 
ments. The  stanza  beginning, 

"  In  these  green  solitudes,  one  favourite  spot," 

is  accurately  descriptive  of  a  place,  in  Bartram's  woods,  whith- 
er he  used  to  retire  for  the  purposes  of  reading  and  contempla- 
tion, and  where  he  planned  his  Ornithology.  Of  the  faults  of 
this  little  poem  I  will  merely  remark,  that  the  initial  quatrain 
is  prosaic;  and  that  the  last  line  betrays  an  unaccountable  defi- 
ciency of  taste. 

The  lovers  of  rural  scenery  will  learn  with  regret,  that  this 
fine  piece  of  forest,  consecrated  to  the  Muses  of  poetry  and  na- 
tural history,  by  Wilson,  is  fast  disappearing  beneath  the  ax  of 
the  husbandman.  Already  is  the  brook,  which  was  "  o'erhung 
with  alders  and  mantling  vines,"  exposed  to  the  glare  of  day; 


clxxiv  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

the  favourite  haunts  of  the  Wood  Thrush  are  invaded;  and,  ere 
long,  like  his  lamented  historian,  his  place  will  be  known  there 
no  more. 

His  poetical  description  of  the  Blue-bird,  which  originally 
appeared  in  the  first  volume  of  the  Ornithology,  has  been  copi- 
ed into  many  publications,  and  still  maintains  its  popularity. 
It  contains  some  ill-constructed  lines,  and  some  rhymes  so 
grossly  defective,  that  we  wonder  how  he  could  have  tolerated 
them  in  a  production  of  only  half  a  dozen  stanzas.  The  last 
quatrain  of  the  fourth  stanza  contains  false  syntax;  the  construc- 
tion is  not  regular  and  dependent,  the  adverb  so  being  out  of 
place.  In  the  third  stanza  there  is  a  grammatical  error.  Yet  in 
this  little  poem,  Wilson's  happy  talent  of  describing  rural  scene- 
ry, and  the  habits  of  birds,  is  conspicuous.  The  picture  is 
charming,  and  more  so  to  an  American,  who  knows  how  beau- 
tifully accurate  are  its  outlines.  We  see  the  disappearing  of 
the  snows  of  Winter;  the  busy  labours  of  the  fishermen;  the 
wild  geese  labouring  their  airy  way  to  the  north;  the  lone  but- 
terfly fluttering  over  the  meadows;  the  red  maple  buds  bursting 
into  life;  and,  finally,  "  the  "  herald  of  Spring,'7  the  well- 
known  blue-bird,  hailing  "  with  his  warblings  the  charms  of 
the  season."  The  warm  sunshine  brings  out  the  frogs  from 
their  retreats,  and  their  piping  is  heard  throughout  the  marshes; 
the  woodland  flowers  unfold  their  charms  to  the  eye;  and  the 
industrious  housewives  repair  to  their  gardens.  The  useful 
bird  is  beheld  flitting  through  the  orchard  in  search  of  noxious 
insects,  he  drags  the  devouring  grub  from  the  newly  planted 
maize,  and  the  caterpillars  from  their  webs.  The  ploughman 
is  pleased  to  behold  him  gleaning  in  his  furrows,  and  the  gar- 
dener suspends  his  labours  to  listen  to  his  simple  song.  "  When 
all  the  gay  scenes  of  the  summer  are  o'er,"  we  observe  him 
lingering  about  his  native  home,  like  a  solitary  outcast;  we 
hear  his  melancholy  adieu  from  the  leafless  branch,  and  mourn 
his  departure  as  that  of  a  beloved  friend. 

Of  all  Wilson's  minor  effusions  this  pleases  me  the  most.   Its 
imagery  is  derived  from  objects  that  are  familiar  to  us,  but  yet 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clxXV 

it  is  not  trite;  none  but  an  attentive  observer  of  nature  could 
have  conceived  it,  and  expressed  it  so  naturally. 

It  appears  to  have  been  his  intention  to  concentrate  all  his 
poetical  powers  in  his  "Foresters,"  resting  his  hope  of  fame 
chiefly  upon  this  production.  That  the  time  spent  in  construct- 
ing it,  might  have  been  better  employed  in  writing  a  simple 
prose  narrative  of  a  journey,  which  was  fruitful  of  interesting 
events,  must  be  obvious  to  many  of  the  readers  of  this  poem, 
who  are  acquainted  with  the  author's  talents  for  description, 
and  his  appropriate  diction,  of  which  we  are  presented  with  ex- 
amples in  his  letters  and  his  Ornithology.  On  first  reading  this 
production  such  was  my  impression,  and  a  re-perusal  has  not 
induced  me  to  change  my  opinion. 

In  his  exordium  he  is  not  very  happy: 

"  Sons  of  the  city!  ye  whom  crowds  and  noise 
"  Bereave  of  peace,  and  Nature's  rural  joys." 

The  noise  of  a  crowded  city  may  bereave  its  inhabitants  of 
peace,  but  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  it  can  have  a  tendency 
to  deprive  them  of  the  delights  of  the  country. 

In  the  account  of  his  companions  and  himself  he  is  too  cir- 
cumstantial, details  of  this  kind  correspond  not  well  with  the 
dignity  of  poetry : 

"  An  oilskin  covering  glittered  round  his  head.'* 

"  A  knapsack  crammed  by  Friendship's  generous  care 

"  With  cakes  and  cordials,  drams  and  dainty  fare; 

"  Flasks  filled  with  powder,  leathern  belts  with  shot, 

**  Clothes,  colours,  paper,  pencils, — and  what  not." 

Also  in  another  place: 

"  Full  loaded  peach  trees  drooping  hung  around, 
"  Their  mellow  fruit  thick  scattered  o'er  the  ground; 
"  Six  cents  procured  us  a  sufficient  store, 
"  Our  napkins  crammed  and  pockets  running  o'er. 

Many  of  his  rhymes  are  bad,  particularly  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  poem,  from  the  carelessness  of  the  composition  of  which, 


dxxvi  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

one  is  led  to  conjecture  that  he  was  weary  of  his  protracted  la- 
bour. We  have  tale,  and  smile;  sent  and  want;  blest  and  past; 
bespread  and  clad;  and  many  other  similar  imperfections. 

The  conclusion  of  the  poem  is  a  specimen  of  slovenly  and 
inaccurate  composition: 

"  And  when  some  short  and  broken  slumbers  came 
"  Still  round  us  roaring-  swept  th'  outrageous  stream; 
"  Whelm'd  in  the  deep  we  sunk  engulf 'd,  forlorn; 
"  Or  down  the  dreadful  rapids  helpless  borne; 
"  Groaning  we  start!  and,  at  the  loudening  tear, 
Ask  our  bewildered  senses  where  we  ore." 

In  common  with  those  who  are  ignorant  of  naval  affairs,  he 
commits  a  blunder  in  the  use  of  the  technical  term  main-sheet, 
mistaking  it  for  a  sail: 

"  They  trim  their  thundering  sail, 


"  The  boom  and  main-sheet  bending  to  the  gale." 

The  main-sheet  is  the  rope  by  means  of  which  the  boom  is 
governed,  either  eased  off,  or  drawn  in,  as  suits  the  state  of  the 
wind. 

In  a  poem  consisting  of  more  than  two  thousand  lines,  it 
would  be  strange  if  some  touches  of  excellence  could  not  be 
found,  some  passages  which  prove  that  the  author  not  only 
possessed  poetical  ideas,  but  also  was  familiar  with  the  art  of 
poetical  expression.  In  his  description  of  the  calm,  smoky,  au- 
tumnal weather,  which,  in  America,  is  usually  denominated  the 
Indian  Summer,  we  are  presented  with  a  beautiful  image, 
which  I  do  not  recollect  to  have  seen  elsewhere: 

"  Slow  sailed  the  thistle-down  along  the  lawn." 

The  description  of  the  Dutch  farmer,  and  his  habitation,  would 
not  disgrace  the  author  of  Rip  Van  Winkle. 

In  the  enumeration  of  the  miseries  of  a  country  schoolmaster 
there  is  much  truth;  and  the  picture  is  vividly  and  feelingly 
drawn  from  nature.  Few  had  more  experience  than  Wilson  of 
the  degraded  condition  of  a  teacher,  when  under  the  control 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clxxvii 

of  the  vulgar  and  ignorant;  a  state,  compared  with  which  the 
lot  of  the  hewer  of  wood,  and  drawer  of  water,  is  truly  enviable. 

The  account  of  daddy  Squares,  the  settler,  and  that  of  Pat 
Dougherty,  the  shopkeeper  and  publican,  contain  some  humour. 
The  latter  is  a  disgusting  exhibition  of  one  of  those  barbarians, 
whom  the  traveller  often  meets  with  in  the  interior  of  our  coun- 
try; and  whose  ignorance,  bestiality  and  vice,  have  the  tenden- 
cy to  disabuse  one  on  the  subject  of  the  virtue  and  happiness 
usually  attributed  to  the  inhabitants  remote  from  our  large  cities, 
which,  instead  of  being  the  only  nurseries  of  corruption,  as  is 
believed  and  affirmed,  are  the  great  schools  wherein  science,  li- 
terature, piety  and  manners,  are  most  effectively  taught,  and 
most  beneficially  practised. 

The  sketch  of  the  Indian  hunter  is  entitled  to  praise,  as  being 
vigorous  and  picturesque;  and  the  description  of  the  Bald  or 
Gray  Eagles,  sailing  amid  the  mist  of  the  Cataract  of  Niagara, 
is  a  picture  drawn  with  fidelity — it  is  poetical  and  sublime. 

After  this  superficial  review  of  the  poems  of  Wilson,  the 
question  will  naturally  arise,  ought  we  to  consider  him  as  one 
endued  with  those  requisites,  which  entitle  his  productions  to 
rank  with  the  works  of  the  poets,  properly  so  called?  To  write 
smooth  and  agreeable  verses  is  an  art  of  no  very  difficult  pur- 
chase; we  see  it  daily  exemplified  by  persons  of  education, 
whose  leisure  permits  them  to  beguile  a  lonely  hour  with  an 
employment  at  once  delightful  and  instructive.  But  when  one 
considers  the  temporary  nature  of  the  great  mass  of  these  fugitive 
essays,  that  they  are  read  and  remembered  just  so  long  as  is 
the  ephemeral  sheet,  or  magazine,  the  columns  of  which  they 
adorn;  one  can  form  no  high  expectations  of  the  long  life  of  that 
poetry  which  seldom  rises  beyond  mediocrity,  which  some- 
times sinks  greatly  below  it;  and  which  is  indebted,  in  no  small 
degree,  to  the  adventitious  aid  of  a  name,  resplendent  in  anoth- 
er walk  of  literature,  for  that  countenance  and  support,  which 
its  own  intrinsic  merits,  singly,  could  never  claim. 

I  am  aware  that  these  brief  observations  on  the  poetry  of 
Wilson,  are  not  calculated  to  give  pleasure  to  those  of  his 

VOL.  i. — z 


LIFE  OFVILSON. 

friends,  who  have  been  in  the  habit  of  regarding  him  as  one 
possessing  no  small  claim  to  the  inspiration  of  the  Muses.  But 
let  such  remember  the  determination  of  a  profound  critic,  that 
"no  question  can  be  more  innocently  discussed  than  a  dead 
poet's  pretensions  to  renown;  and  little  regard  is  due  to  that 
bigotry  which  sets  candour  higher  than  truth."* 

When  Wilson  commenced  the  publication  of  his  History  of 
the  Birds  of  the  United  States,  he  was  quite  a  novice  in  the 
study  of  the  Science  of  Ornithology.  This  arose  from  two  causes: 
his  poverty,  which  prevented  him  from  owning  the  works  of 
those  authors,  who  had  particularly  attended  to  the  classification 
and  nomenclature  of  birds;  and  his  contempt  of  the  labours  of 
closet  naturalists,  whose  dry  descriptions  convey  any  thing  but 
pleasure  to  that  mind,  which  has  been  disciplined  in  the  school 
of  Nature.  But  the  difficulties  under  which  he  laboured  soon 
convinced  him  of  the  necessity  of  those  helps,  which  only  books 
can  supply;  and  his  repugnance  to  systems,  as  repulsive  as  they 
are  at  the  first  view,  gradually  gave  place  to  more  enlarged  no- 
tions, on  the  course  to  be  pursued  by  him,  who  would  not  only 
attain  to  knowledge,  by  the  readiest  means,  but  who  would  im- 
part that  knowledge,  in  the  most  effective  manner,  to  others. 

As  far  as  I  can  learn,  he  had  access  but  to  two  systems  of  Or- 
nithology— that  of  Linneus,  as  translated  by  Dr.  Turton,  and 
the  "  General  Synopsis"  of  Dr.  Latham,  t  The  arrangement  of 
the  latter  he  adopted  in  his  "  General  Index"  of  Land  Birds, 
appended  to  the  sixth  volume;  and  he  intended  to  pursue  the 
same  system  for  the  Water  Birds,  at  the  conclusion  of  his  work. 

The  nature  of  his  plan  prevented  him  from  proceeding  in  re- 
gular order,  according  to  the  system  adopted,  it  being  his  inten- 

*  Johnson's  Preface  to  Shakspeare. 

f  The  library  of  Wilson  occupied  but  a  small  space.  On  casting  my  eyes, 
after  his  decease,  over  the  ten  or  a  dozen  volumes  of  which  it  was  composed, 
I  was  grieved  to  find  that  he  had  been  the  owner  of  only  one  work  on  Ornitho- 
logy, and  that  was  Bewick's  British  Birds.  For  the  use  of  the  first  volume  of 
Turton's  Linneus,  he  was  indebted  to  the  friendship  of  Mr.  Thomas  Say;  the 
Philadelphia  Library  supplied  liim  with  Latham. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clxxix 

tion  to  publish  as  fast  as  the  materials  accumulated;  and  he  being 
in  some  measure  compelled,  by  motives  of  economy,  to  appor- 
tion his  figures  to  the  space  they  would  occupy  in  the  plates, 
he  thereby  brings  to  our  view,  birds  not  only  of  different  genera, 
but  of  different  habits,  associated  in  a  manner  not  wholly  unnat- 
ural, but  abhorrent  from  the  views  of  those  systematists,  who 
account  every  deviation  from  method  an  inexcusable  fault. 

With  the  art  of  perspective,  it  would  appear,  he  was  imper- 
fectly acquainted;  hence  there  are  errors  in  his  drawings,  which 
the  rigid  critic  cannot  overlook.  These  errors  occur  most  fre- 
quently in  the  feet  and  the  tails  of  his  birds,  the  latter  of  which, 
with  the  view  of  being  characteristically  displayed,  are  frequent- 
ly distorted  in  a  manner,  which  no  expediency  can  justify.  One 
can  hardly  forbear  smiling  at  the  want  of  correspondence  be- 
tween the  figure  of  the  Sharp-shinned  Hawk,  and  the  fence 
upon  which  it  is  mounted,  the  former,  instead  of  appearing  of 
the  size  of  nature,  for  which  the  author  intended  it,  absolutely 
assuming  the  bulk  of  an  elephant. 

But  notwithstanding  these  defects,  there  is  a  spirit  in  some 
of  his  drawings  which  is  admirable.  Having  been  taught  draw- 
ing from  natural  models,  he  of  course  became  familiar  with  na- 
tural attitudes:  hence  his  superiority,  in  this  respect,  to  all  au- 
thors extant.  Among  his  figures  most  worthy  of  notice,  I 
would  particularize  the  Shore  Lark,  Brown  Creeper,  House 
and  Winter  Wrens,  Mocking-Bird,  Cardinal  Grosbeak,  Cow 
Buntings,  Mottled  Owl,  Meadow  Lark,  Barn  Swallows,  Snipe 
and  Partridge,  Rail  and  Woodcock,  and  the  Ruffed  Grous. 

The  introduction  of  appropriate  scenery,  into  a  work  of  this 
kind,  can  have  no  good  effect,  unless  it  be  made  to  harmonize, 
both  as  to  design  and  execution,  with  the  leading  subjects;  hence 
Wilson's  landscapes,  in  the  eye  of  taste,  must  always  be  viewed 
as  a  blemish,  as  he  was  not  skilful  in  this  branch  of  the  art  of 
delineation;  and,  even  if  he  had  been  dexterous,  he  was  not  au- 
thorized to  increase  the  expenditures  of  a  work,  which,  long 
before  its  termination,  its  publisher  discovered  to  be  inconve 
niently  burdensome. 


dxxx  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

The  principal  objections  which  I  have  heard  urged  against 
the  Ornithology,  relate  to  the  colouring;  but  as  the  difficulties 
to  which  its  author  was  subjected,  on  this  score,  have  been  al- 
ready detailed,  I  will  merely  observe,  that  he  found  them  too 
great  to  be  surmounted.  Hence  a  generous  critic  will  not  impute 
to  him  as  a  fault,  what,  in  truth,  ought  to  be  viewed  in  the  light 
of  a  misfortune. 

In  his  specific  definitions  he  is  loose  and  unsystematic.  He 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  pre- 
cision on  this  head;  his  essential  and  natural  characters  are  not 
discriminated;  and,  in  some  instances,  he  confounds  generic  and 
specific  characters,  which  the  laws  of  methodical  science  do  not 
authorize. 

There  is  a  peculiarity  in  his  orthography,  which  it  is  proper 
that  I  should  take  notice  of,  for  the  purpose  of  explaining  his 
motive  for  an  anomaly,  at  once  inelegant  and  injudicious.  I 
have  his  own  authority  for  stating,  that  he  adopted  this  mode 
of  spelling,  at  the  particular  instance  of  the  late  Joel  Barlow, 
who  vainly  hoped  to  give  currency,  in  his  heavy  Epic,  to  an 
innovation,  which  greater  names  than  his  own  had  been  unable 
to  effect. 

"  Some  ingenious  men,"  says  Johnson,  "have  endeavoured 
to  deserve  well  of  their  country  by  writing  honor  and  labor  for 
honour  and  labour,  red  for  read  in  the  preter-tense,  sais  for 
says,  repete  for  repeat,  explane  for  explain,  or  declame  for 
declaim.  Of  these  it  may  be  said,  that  as  they  have  done  no 
good,  they  have  done  little  harm;  both  because  they  have  inno- 
vated little,  and  because  few  have  followed  them." 

The  recommendation*  of  the  learned  lexicographer,  above 
cited,  ought  to  be  laid  to  heart  by  all  those  whose  "  vanity  seeks 
praise  by  petty  reformation. "  "  I  hope  I  may  be  allowed,"  says 
he,  "  to  recommend  to  those,  whose  thoughts  have  been  per- 
haps employed  too  anxiously  on  verbal  singularities,  not  to  dis- 
turb upon  narrow  views,  or  for  minute  propriety,  the  orthogra- 
phy of  their  fathers.  There  is  in  constancy  and  stability  a  gen- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clxxxi 

eral  and  lasting  advantage,  which  will  always  overbalance  the 
slow  improvements  of  gradual  correction." 

As  it  must  be  obvious  that,  without  books,  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  avoid  error  in  synonymes  and  nomenclature,  so  we 
find  that  our  author,  in  these  respects,  has  rendered  himself  ob- 
noxious to  reproach. 

That  he  was  not  ambitious  of  the  honour  of  forming  new  ge- 
nera, appears  from  the  circumstance,  that,  although  he  found  the 
system  of  Latham  needed  reformation,  yet  he  ventured  to  pro- 
pose but  one  genus,  the  Curvirostra,  the  characters  of  which 
are  so  obvious,  that  one  is  astonished  that  so  learned  an  orni- 
thologist as  Latham,  should  have  contented  himself  with  arrang- 
ing the  species  appertaining  to  it  with  others,  the  conformation 
of  whose  bills  are  so  dissimilar.  It  may  be  necessary  to  state 
that  the  Crossbills  had  been  erected  into  a  separate  genus,  un- 
der the  denomination  of  Crucirostra,  by  an  author  whose  works 
Wilson  had  no  knowledge  of;  and  I  have  reason  to  believe  that 
even  the  generic  appellation  of  Curvirostra  had  been  anticipa- 
ted, by  a  writer  on  the  ornithology  of  the  northern  parts  of  Eu- 
rope. Brisson  limited  his  genus  Loxia  to  the  Crossbills,  and 
this  judicious  restriction  appears  to  be  now  sanctioned  by  all 
naturalists  of  authority. 

There  is  a  species  of  learning,  which  is  greatly  affected  by 
puny  minds,  and  for  which  our  author  entertained  the  most 
hearty  contempt:  this  is  the  names  by  which  certain  nations 
of  Indians  designated  natural  objects.  Hence  we  no  where  find 
his  work  disfigured  by  those  "  uncouth  and  unmanageable 
words,"  which  some  writers  have  recorded  with  a  solemnity, 
which  should  seem  to  prove  a  conviction  of  their  importance; 
but  which,  in  almost  every  instance,  are  a  reproach  to  their 
vanity  and  their  ignorance.  Can  any  thing  be  more  preposte- 
rous than  for  one  to  give  a  catalogue  of  names  in  a  language, 
the  grammatical  construction  of  which  has  never  been  ascer- 
tained, and  with  the  idiom  of  which  one  is  totally  unacquaint- 
ed? Among  literate  nations  it  is  a  rule,  which  has  received  the 
sanction  of  prescription,  that  when  one  would  write  upon  a 


clxxxii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

tongue,  it  is  indispensable  that  one  should  qualify  one's  self  for 
the  task,  by  a  careful  investigation  of  its  principles.  But  when 
the  language  of  barbarians  becomes  the  subject  of  attention,  the 
rule  is  reversed,  and,  provided  a  copious  list  of  names  be  given, 
it  is  not  required  of  the  collector,  that  he  should  have  explored 
the  sources  whence  they  are  derived:  his  learning  is  estimated 
by  the  measure  of  his  labour,  and  our  applause  is  taxed  in  pro- 
portion to  his  verbosity. 

The  style  of  Wilson  appears  to  be  well  adapted  to  the  sub- 
jects upon  which  he  wrote.  It  is  seldom  feeble,  it  is  sometimes 
vigorous,  and  it  is  generally  neat.  He  appears  to  have  "  un- 
derstood himself,  and  his  readers  always  understand  him." 
That  he  was  capable  of  graceful  writing,  he  has  given  us,  in  the 
preface  to  his  first  volume,  which  we  here  insert,  a  remarkable 
instance;  which  is  one  of  the  happiest,  and  most  appropriate, 
compositions  that  our  literature  can  boast  of. 

"  The  whole  use  of  a  preface  seems  to  be,  either  to  elucidate 
the  nature  and  origin  of  the  work,  or  to  invoke  the  clemency 
of  the  reader.  Such  observations  as  have  been  thought  neces- 
sary for  the  former,  will  be  found  in  the  Introduction ;  extreme- 
ly solicitous  to  obtain  the  latter,  I  beg  leave  to  relate  the  fol- 
lowing anecdote. 

"  In  one  of  my  late  visits  to  a  friend's  in  the  country,  I  found 
their  youngest  son,  a  fine  boy  of  eight  or  nine  years  of  age,  who 
usually  resides  in  town  for  his  education,  just  returning  from  a 
ramble  through  the  neighbouring  woods  and  fields,  where  he  had 
collected  a  large  and  very  handsome  bunch  of  wild  flowers,  of 
a  great  many  different  colours;  and  presenting  them  to  his  mo- 
ther, said,  with  much  animation  in  his  countenance,  *  Look, 
<  my  dear  'ma,  what  beautiful  flowers  I  have  found  growing 

*  on  our  place !  Why  all  the  woods  are  full  of  them !  red,  orange, 
6  blue,  and  'most  every  colour.     0,  I  can  gather  you  a  whole 
6  parcel  of  them,  much  handsomer  than  these,  all  growing  in 

*  our  own  woods!  Shall  I,  'ma?  Shall  I  go  and  bring  you  more?' 
The  good  woman  received  the  bunch  of  flowers  with  a  smile  of 
affectionate  complacency;  and  after  admiring  for  some  time  the 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clxxxiii 

beautiful  simplicity  of  nature,  gave  her  willing  consent ;  and 
the  little  fellow  went  off,  on  the  wings  of  ecstasy,  to  execute 
his  delightful  commission. 

"  The  similitude  of  this  little  boy's  enthusiasm  to  my  own, 
struck  me;  and  the  reader  will  need  no  explanations  of  mine  to 
make  the  application.  Should  my  country  receive  with  the 
same  gracious  indulgence  the  specimens  which  I  here  humbly 
present  her;  should  she  express  a  desire  for  me  to  go  and  bring 
her  more,  the  highest  wishes  of  my  ambition  will  be  gratified ; 
for,  in  the  language  of  my  little  friend,  our  whole  woods  are 
full  of  them!  and  I  can  collect  hundreds  more,  much  hand- 
somer than  these.'7 

In  a  work  abounding  with  so  many  excellencies,  it  would 
not  be  difficult  to  point  out  passages  of  merit,  any  one  of  which 
would  give  the  author  a  just  claim  to  the  title  of  a  describer  of 
no  ordinary  powers. 

We  select  the  following  description,  from  the  history  of  the 
Wood  Thrush:  "  At  whatever  time  the  wood  thrush  may  ar- 
rive, he  soon  announces  his  presence  in  the  woods.     With  the 
dawn  of  the  succeeding  morning,  mounting  to  the  top  of  some 
tall  tree,  that  rises  from  a  low  thick-shaded  part  of  the  woodsr 
he  pipes  his  few,  but  clear  and  musical,  notes  in  a  kind  of  ec- 
stasy; the  prelude  or  symphony  to  which  strongly  resembles 
the  double-tongueing  of  a  German  flute,   and  sometimes  the 
tinkling  of  a  small  bell.     The  whole  song  consists  of  five  or 
six  parts,  the  last  note  of  each  of  which  is  in  such  a  tone, 
as  to  leave  the  conclusion  evidently    suspended;    the  finale 
is  finely  managed,   and  with  such  charming  effect,  as  to  sooth 
and  tranquillize  the  mind,  and  to  seem  sweeter  and  mellower 
at  each  successive  repetition.    Rival  songsters,  of  the  same  spe- 
cies, challenge  each  other  from  different  parts  of  the  wood, 
seeming  to  vie  for  softer  tones,  and  more  exquisite  responses^ 
During  the  burning  heat  of  the  day  they  are  comparatively 
mute;  but  in  the  evening  the  same  melody  is  renewed,  and 
continued  long  after  sunset.     Even  in  dark,  wet  and  gloomy 


clxxxiv  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

weather,  when  scarce  a  single  chirp  is  heard  from  any  other 
bird,  the  clear  notes  of  the  wood  thrush  thrill  through  the 
dropping  woods,  from  morning  to  night;  and  it  may  truly  be 
said  that  the  sadder  the  day  the  sweeter  is  his  song. " 

Perhaps  my  admiration  of  this  passage  may  be  dependent, 
in  some  measure,  upon  the  association  of  ideas,  having  been 
accustomed  to  frequent  the  favourite  haunts  of  this  exquisite 
musician,  which  are  "  low  thick-shaded  hollows,  through  which 
a  small  brook  or  rill  meanders,  overhung  with  alder  bushes 
that  are  mantled  with  vines."  But  I  can  truly  declare  that  I 
could  never  read  it  in  an  audible  voice,  the  intenseness  of  my 
feelings  always  overpowering  me. 

He  thus  delightfully  introduces  his  history  of  the  Barn  Swal- 
low: u  There  are  but  few  persons  in  the  United  States  unac- 
quainted with  this  gay,  innocent,  and  active  little  bird.  Indeed 
the  whole  tribe  are  so  distinguished  from  the  rest  of  small  birds 
by  their  sweeping  rapidity  of  flight,  their  peculiar  aerial  evolu- 
tions of  wing  over  our  fields  and  rivers,  and  through  our  very 
streets,  from  morning  to  night,  that  the  light  of  heaven  itself, 
the  sky,  the  trees,  or  any  other  common  objects  of  nature,  are 
not  better  known  than  the  swallows.  We  welcome  their  first 
appearance  with  delight,  as  the  faithful  harbingers  and  compa- 
nions of  flowery  spring,  and  ruddy  summer;  and  when,  after  a 
long,  frost-bound  and  boisterous  winter,  we  hear  it  announced 
that  the  "  Siva  Hows  are  come!"  what  a  train  of  charming  ideas 

o 

are  associated  with  the  simple  tidings!'7 

The  following  remarks  on  the  current  doctrine  of  the  hyber- 
nation  of  Swallows  are  worthy  of  note.  My  object  in  intro- 
ducing them  into  this  place  is  twofold:  to  exemplify  our  author's 
talent  for  copious  and  equable  composition;  and  to  afford  my- 
self an  opportunity  of  adding  my  feeble  testimony  to  his,  on  a 
subject  which  one  should  suppose  would  have  been  long  ago 
definitively  ascertained. 

"  The  wonderful  activity  displayed  by  these  birds,  forms  a 
striking  contrast  to  the  slow  habits  of  most  other  animals.  It 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clxxxv 

may  be  fairly  questioned  whether  among  the  whole  feathered 
tribes,  which  heaven  has  formed  to  adorn  this  part  of  creation, 
there  be  any  that,  in  the  same  space  of  time,  pass  over  an  equal 
extent  of  surface  with  the  Swallow.     Let  a  person  take  his 
stand  on  a  fine  summer  evening,  by  a  new-mown  field,  meadow 
or  river  shore,  for  a  short  time,  and  among  the  numerous  indi- 
viduals of  this  tribe  that  flit  before  him,  fix  his  eye  on  a  parti- 
cular one,  and  follow,  for  a  while,  all  its  circuitous  labyrinths 
— its  extensive  sweeps — its  sudden,  rapidly  reiterated,  zigzag 
excursions,  and  then  attempt,  by  the  powers  of  mathematics, 
to  calculate  the  length  of  the  various  lines  it  describes;  alas! 
even  his  omnipotent  fluxions  would  avail  him  little  here,  and 
he  would  soon  abandon  the  task  in  despair.     Yet,  that  some 
conception  may  be  formed  of  this  extent,  let  us  suppose  that 
this  little  bird  flies,  in  his  usual  way,  at  the  rate  of  one  mile  in 
a  minute,  which,  from  the  many  experiments  that  I  have  made, 
I  believe  to  be  within  the  truth;  and  that  he  is  so  engaged  for 
ten  hours  every  day;  and  further,  that  this  active  life  is  extend- 
ed to  ten  years  (many  of  our  small  birds  being  known  to  live 
much  longer,  even  in  a  state  of  domestication,)  the  amount  of 
all  these,  allowing  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days  to  a  year, 
would  give  us  two  millions  one  hundred  and  ninety  thousand 
miles:  upwards  of  eighty-seven  times  the  circumference  of  the 
globe !  Yet  this  winged  seraph,  if  I  may  so  speak,  who,  in  a 
few  days,  and  at  will,  can  pass  from  the  borders  of  the  arctic 
regions  to  the  torrid  zone,  is  forced,  when  winter  approaches, 
to  descend  to  the  bottoms  of  lakes,  rivers,  and  millponds,  to 
bury  itself  in  the  mud  with  eels  and  snapping  turtles;  or  to 
creep  ingloriously  into  a  cavern,  a  rat  hole,  or  a  hollow  tree, 
there  to  doze  with  snakes,  toads,  and  other  reptiles,  until  the 
return  of  spring!  Is  not  this  true  ye  wise  men  of  Europe  and 
America,  who  have  published  so  many  credible  narratives  upon 
this  subject?  The  geese,  the  ducks,  the  catbird,  and  even  the  wren, 
which  creeps  about  our  outhouses  in  summer  like  a  mouse,  arc 
all  acknowledged  to  be  migratory,  and  to  pass  into  southern 

regions  at  the  approach  of  winter; — the   swallow  alone,   on 
VOL.  i. — A  a 


clxxxvi  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

whom  heaven  has  conferred  superior  powers  of  wing,  must 
sink  into  torpidity  at  the  bottom  of  our  rivers,  or  doze  all  win- 
ter in  the  caverns  of  the  earth.  I  am  myself  something  of  a 
traveller,  and  foreign  countries  afford  many  novel  sights:  should 
I  assert,  that  in  some  of  my  peregrinations  I  had  met  with  a 
nation  of  Indians,  all  of  whom,  old  and  young,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  cold  weather,  descend  to  the  bottom  of  their 
lakes  and  rivers,  and  there  remain  until  the  breaking  up  of 
frost;  nay,  should  I  affirm,  that  thousands  of  people  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  this  city,  regularly  undergo  the  same  semi- 
annual submersion — that  I  myself  had  fished  up  a  whole  family 
of  these  from  the  bottom  of  the  Schuylkill,  where  they  had  lain 
torpid  all  winter,  carried  them  home,  and  brought  them  all 
comfortably  to  themselves  again; — should  I  even  publish  this 
in  the  learned  pages  of  the  Transactions  of  our  Philosophical 
Society,*  who  would  believe  me?  Is  then  the  organization  of  a 
swallow  less  delicate  than  that  of  a  man?  Can  a  bird,  whose  vi- 
tal functions  are  destroyed  by  a  short  privation  of  pure  air,  and 
its  usual  food,  sustain,  for  six  months,  a  situation  where  the 
most  robust  man  would  perish  in  a  few  hours,  or  minutes,  t 

*  Here  there  is  a  palpable  allusion  to  a  paper  on  the  hybernation  of  swallows, 
which  was  published  in  the  sixth  volume  of  the  Transactions  of  the  American 
Philosophical  Society.  This  paper  was  written  by  one  Frederick  Antes,  and 
was  communicated  to  the  Society  by  the  late  professor  Barton.  It  is  probable 
that  Wilson  had  also  read  the  "  letter  on  the  retreat  of  house-swallows  in  win- 
ter, from  the  honourable  Samuel  Dexter,  Esq.  to  the  honourable  James  Bow- 
doin,  Esq. ;"  and  that  **  from  the  Reverend  Mr.  Packard  to  the  honourable 
Samuel  Dexter,  Esq.,"  both  of  them  published  in  the  Memoirs  of  the  Ameri- 
can Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  of  Boston,  vols.  1  and  2. 

Such  communications  are  not  calculated  to  do  honour  to  any  learned  institu- 
tion; and  they  ought  to  be  rejected  with  scorn  and  reprehension. 

f  Carlisle,  in  his  lecture  on  muscular  motion,  observes,  that,  "  animals  of 
the  class  Mammalia,  which  hybernate  and  become  torpid  in  the  winter,  have  at 
all  times  a  power  of  subsisting1  under  a  confined  respiration,  which  would  de- 
stroy other  animals  not  having  this  peculiar  habit.  In  all  the  hybernating 
.Mammalia  there  is  a  peculiar  structure  of  the  heart  and  its  principal  veins. " 
Philosophical  Transactions  for  1805,  p.  17. 

"  If  all  birds,  except  swallows,"  says  Reeve,  "  are  able  to  survive  the  win- 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clxxxvii 

Away  with  such  absurdities!  they  are  unworthy  of  a  serious 
refutation.  I  should  be  pleased  to  meet  with  a  man  who  has 
been  personally  more  conversant  with  birds  than  myself,  who 
has  followed  them  in  their  wide  and  devious  routes — studied 
their  various  manners — mingled  with  them,  and  marked  their 
peculiarities  more  than  I  have  done ;  yet  the  miracle  of  a  resus- 
citated Swallow,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  from  the  bottom  of  a 
millpond,  is,  I  confess,  a  phenomenon  in  ornithology  that  I 
have  never  met  with. " 

The  subject  of  the  supposed  torpidity  of  swallows  has  em- 
ployed many  writers,  but  unfortunately  too  few  of  those,  whose 
practical  knowledge  enabled  them  to  speak  with  that  certainty, 
which  should  always  give  authority  to  writings  on  natural  his- 
tory. Reasoning  a  priori  ought  to  have  taught  mankind  a 
more  rational  opinion,  than  that  which  the  advocates  of  hyber- 
nation  have  unthinkingly  promulgated.  And  is  it  not  sur- 
prising that  as  experiments  are  so  easy  to  be  instituted,  they 
should  have  been  so  seldom  resorted  to,  in  order  to  determine 
a  problem  which  many  may  suppose  to  be  intricate,  but  which, 
in  effect,  is  one  of  the  simplest,  or  most  easy  to  be  ascertained, 
of  any  in  the  whole  animal  kingdom?  It  is  a  fact,  that  all  the 
experiments  which  have  been  made,  on  the  subject  of  the  hy- 
bernation  of  birds,  have  failed  to  give  countenance,  in  the  most 
remote  degree,  to  this  irrational  doctrine. 

From  my  personal  experience,  and  from  my  earliest  youth  I 
have  been  conversant  with  the  habits  of  birds,  I  feel  myself 
justified  in  asserting,  that,  in  the  whole  class  Jives,  there  has 

ter,  and  they  alone  are  so  overcome  by  the  cold  as  to  be  rendered  torpid,  the 
difference  must  be  found  in  their  anatomical  structure,  and  in  their  habits  of  life. 
"  Now,  in  the  first  place,  it  is  certain  that  they  have,  in  common  with  other 
birds,  the  three  great  functions  of  respiration,  circulation,  and  assimilation:  the 
similarity  of  their  organs,  and  every  circumstance  in  their  mode  of  living, 
prove  that  they  are  subject  to  the  same  laws:  they  have  also  a  very  high  tem- 
perature; and  are  peculiarly  organized  for  rapid  and  long  flight.  The  size  of 
their  lungs,  the  lightness  of  their  bones,  and  the  buoyancy  of  their  feathers, 
render  it  absolutely  impossible  to  sink  them  in  water  without  a  considerable 
weight;  and  they  die  instantly  for  want  of  air,"  Reeve  on  Torpidity,  p.  43, 


clxxXViii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

never  been  an  authenticated  instance  known  of  a  single  indivi- 
dual capable  of  entering  into  that  peculiar  state  denominated 
torpidity.  Be  it  observed,  that  the  narratives  of  credulous  tra- 
vellers, and  superficial  observers,  and  newspaper  tales,  on  this 
subject,  are  of  no  authority,  and  must  be  utterly  rejected.  And 
yet  these  are  the  only  sources  whence  naturalists  have  drawn 
their  opinions  on  the  question  of  torpidity.  It  is  to  be  regret- 
ted that  the  authority  of  Linnaeus  himself  should  have  given 
credit  and  currency  to  this  opinion,  and  the  more  so  since  his 
example  of  sanctioning  vulgar  narratives  by  his  acquiescence, 
without  examination,  has  been  followed  by  the  majority  of  wri- 
ters on  ornithology,  particularly  those  of  Sweden,  in  which 
country,  if  we  may  place  reliance  on  the  transactions  of  the 
Academy  of  Upsal,  the  submersion  of  swallows  is  received  as 
an  acknowledged  fact. 

Linnaeus  no  where  tells  us  that  he  had  ever  seen  a  torpid 
swallow;  but  what  shall  we  say  of  the  English  translator  of 
Kalm's  Travels,  the  learned  John  Reinhold  Forster,  who  posi- 
tively asserts  that  he  himself  had  been  an  eye  witness  to  the 
fact  of  swallows  being  fished  up  out  of  the  lake  of  Lybshau,  in 
Prussia,  in  the  winter,  and  being  restored  to  animation !  a  cir- 
cumstance as  impossible,  if  we  are  allowed  to  consider  anato- 
mical structure  as  having  any  influence  on  animal  existence,  as 
that  a  human  being  could  be  resuscitated  after  such  a  submer- 
sion.* 

*  I  am  unwilling  to  object  falsehood  to  this  accomplished  traveller,  and 
therefore  must  conclude  that,  in  trusting  to  his  memory,  after  a  considerable 
lapse  of  time,  he  must  have  given  that  which  he  had  received  of  another,  as 
the  result  of  his  own  experience.  Mental  hallucinations  of  this  kind  are  not 
of  rare  occurrence. 

That  persons  of  the  strictest  veracity  are  frequently  deceived  by  appear- 
ances, there  can  be  no  doubt;  and  therefore  it  becomes  a  source  of  regret 
when  such  individuals,  in  recording  their  remarks  upon  the  phenomena  of  na- 
ture, omit  those  considerations,  which,  if  observed,  could  hardly  fail  to  guard 
them  from  error.  Had  our  illustrious  countryman,  Franklin,  when  he  thought 
he  had  succeeded  in  resuscitating  a  fly,  after  it  had  been,  for  several  months, 
or  perhaps  years,  embalmed  in  a  bottle  of  Madeira  wine,  but  exercised  that 
common  sense,  of  which  he  possessed  so  large  a  share,  and  bethought  him  to 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  clxxxix 

Dr.  Reeve,  in  treating  of  the  migration  of  birds,  makes  the 
following  judicious  observations:  "  It  is  singular  that  this  sub- 
ject should  still  admit  of  doubt,  when  it  seems  so  easy  to  be  de- 
cided; yet  every  month  we  see  queries  and  answers  about  the 
migration  of  swallows;  and  every  year  our  curiosity  is  tempted 
to  be  amused  with  marvellous  histories  of  a  party  of  these  birds 
diving  under  water  in  some  remote  quarter  of  America.  No 
species  of  birds,  except  the  swallow,  the  cuckoo,  and  the  wood- 
cock, have  been  supposed  to  remain  torpid  during  the  winter 
months.  And  what  is  the  evidence  in  favour  of  so  strange 
and  monstrous  a  supposition?  Nothing  but  the  most  vague  tes- 
timonies, and  histories  repugnant  to  reason  and  experience. 

"  Other  birds  are  admitted  to  migrate,  and  why  should  swal- 
lows be  exempt  from  the  general  law  of  their  nature?  When 
food  fails  in  one  quarter  of  the  world,  their  instinct  prompts 
them  to  seek  it  in  another.  We  know,  in  fact,  that  such  is  their 

repeat  the  experiment,  he  would  have  soon  discovered,  that  when  the  vital 
juices  of  an  animal  become  decomposed  by  an  acid,  and  their  place  supplied 
by  a  spirituous  fluid,  something-  more  than  the  influence  of  solar  heat  will  be 
requisite  to  re -animate  a  fabric,  which  has,  in  effect,  lost  that  upon  which  ex- 
istence mainly  depends. 

The  writer  of  this  sketch  has  made  several  experiments  upon  flies,  with 
the  view  of  ascertaining  the  possibility  of  their  being-  resuscitated  after  having 
been  drowned  in  Madeira  wine;  but  in  every  instance  his  experiments  had  a 
different  result  from  Dr.  Franklin's.  He  submerged  them  in  the  wine  for  dif- 
ferent periods,  viz.  six  months,  eighteen  hours,  six  hours,  one  hour;  and  in 
the  last  instance  they  showed  signs  of  life  until  ten  minutes  before  they  were 
removed  for  the  benefit  of  the  air  and  sun.  Of  three  flies  used  in  the  last  ex- 
periment, only  one  was  reanimated,  but  after  a  few  convulsive  struggles  it  ex- 
pired. 

Three  flies  were  afterwards  drowned  in  pure  water?  and  after  having  been 
kept  in  that  state  for  seventeen  hours,  they  were  exposed  to  the  sun  for  several 
hours,  but  they  gave  no  signs  of  life. 

Upon  a  re-perusal  of  Franklin's  "  Observations  upon  the  Prevailing  Doc- 
trines of  Life  and  Death,"  in  which  the  story  of  the  flies  is  inserted,  it  appears 
obvious  to  me,  that  the  flies  which  "  fell  into  the  first  glass  that  was  filled," 
were  either  accidentally  thrown  into  it,  or  had  been  in  it  unperceived,  and  on 
this  supposition  a  recovery  from  suspended  animation  would  have  nothing  in 
it  which  might  be  thought  marvellous. 


Cxc  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

natural  habit:  we  have  the  most  unexceptionable  proofs  that 
swallows  do  migrate;  they  have  been  seen  at  sea  on  the  rigging 
of  ships;  and  Adanson,  the  celebrated  naturalist,  is  said  to  have 
caught  four  European  swallows  fifty  leagues  from  land,  be- 
tween the  coast  of  Goree  and  Senegal,  in  the  month  of  October. 

"  Spallanzani  saw  swallows  in  October  on  the  island  of  Li- 
pari,  and  he  was  told  that  when  a  warm  southerly  breeze  blows 
in  winter  they  are  frequently  seen  skimming  along  the  streets 
in  the  city.  He  concludes  that  they  do  not  pass  into  Africa  at 
the  approach  of  winter,  but  remain  in  the  island,  and  issue 
from  their  retreat  on  warm  days  in  quest  of  food."* 

The  late  professor  Barton  of  Philadelphia,  in  a  letter  to  the 
editor  of  the  Philosophical  Magazine,  thus  comments  upon  the 
first  paragraph  of  the  above  remarks  of  Dr.  Reeve:  "  It  ap- 
pears somewhat  surprising  to  me,  that  an  author  who  had  so 
long  had  the  subject  of  the  torpidity  of  animals  under  his  con- 
sideration, should  have  hazarded  the  assertion  contained  in  the 
preceding  paragraph.  Dr.  Reeve  has  certainly  read  of  other 
birds  besides  the  swallow,  the  cuckoo,  and  the  woodcock, 
which  are  said  to  have  been  found  in  a  torpid  state.  And  ought 
he  not  to  have  mentioned  these  birds? 

66  In  my  i  Fragments  of  the  Natural  History  of  Pennsylva- 
nia,' I  have  mentioned  the  common  humming-bird  ( Trochilus 
colubris)  as  one  of  those  American  birds  which  do  occasionally 
become  torpid. 

"  In  regard  to  the  swallows,  I  shall  say  but  little  at  present. 

*  An  Essay  on  the  Torpidity  of  Animals,  by  Henry  Reeve,  M.  D.  p.  40. 

The  author  of  this  narrative,  in  the  middle  of  December,  1820,  was  at 
Nice,  on  the  Mediterranean;  and  had  the  gratification  of  beholding  the  com- 
mon European  Swallow  (Hirundo  rustica)  flying1  through  the  streets  in  con- 
siderable numbers.  M.  Risso,  a  well-known  naturalist,  and  a  resident  of  the 
place,  informed  him  that  swallows  remained  there  all  winter. 

On  the  20th  February,  1818,  being  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  St.  John,  in 
East  Florida,  I  observed  several  swallows  of  the  species  viridis  of  Wilson;  and, 
on  the  26th,  a  flight  of  them,  consisting  of  several  hundreds,  coming  from  the 
sea.  They  are  the  first  which  reach  us  in  the  spring  from  the  south.  They 
commonly  arrive  in  Pennsylvania  in  the  early  part  of  March. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  CXci 

I  have,  at  this  time,  in  the  press,  a  memoir  on  the  migration 
and  torpidity  of  these  birds.  I  am  confident  that  I  shall  be 
able  to  convince  every  candid  philosopher,  that  great  num- 
bers of  swallows,  of  different  species,  do  occasionally  pass 
into  a  state  of  torpidity,  more  or  less  profound,  not  merely 
'  in  some  remote  quarter  of  America,'  but  in  the  vicinity  of 
our  capital  cities,  where  there  are  some  men  of  genuine  obser- 
vation and  inquiry,  and  who  are  as  little  propense  to  believe 
the  marvellous  in  natural  history,  as  any  philosophers  elsewhere. 

"  I  do  not  suppose  that  all  the  swallows  of  North  America 
become  torpid.  It  is  my  present  opinion,  and  it  was  my  opinion 
when  I  published  the  *  Fragments'  in  1799,  that  the  swallows, 
in  general,  are  migratory  birds.  But  subsequent  and  very  ex- 
tensive inquiries  have  convinced  me,  that  the  instances  of  tor- 
pid swallows  are  much  more  frequent  than  I  formerly  supposed 
they  were;  and  that  there  are  two  species  of  the  genus  Hirun- 
do,  which  are  peculiarly  disposed  to  pass  the  brumal  season  in 
the  cavities  of  rocks,  in  the  hollows  of  trees,  and  in  other  simi- 
lar situations,  where  they  have  often  -been  found  in  a  soporose 
state.  These  species  are  the  Hirundo  riparia,  or  sand  swal- 
low; and  the  H.  pelasgia,  which  we  call  chimney  swallow. 
There  is  no  fact  in  ornithology  better  established,  than  THE 
FACT  of  the  occasional  torpidity  of  these  two  species  of  Hi- 
rundo!"* 

It  is  not  strange  that  the  "  very  extensive"  inquiries  of  our 
learned  professor  should  have  had  a  result  so  different  from 
those  of  Wilson,  an  ornithologist  infinitely  better  qualified  than 
himself  to  investigate  a  question  of  this  kind,  by  his  zeal,  his 
capacity,  and  his  experience.  Who  those  men  of  genuine  ob- 

*  Tilloch's  Philosophical  Magazine,  vol.  35,  p.  241. 

"Naturalists,"  says  Dr.  Barton  in  another  place,  "  have  not  always  been 
philosophers.  The  slight  and  superficial  manner  in  which  they  have  examined 
many  of  the  subjects  of  their  science;  the  credulity  which  has  accompanied 
them  in  their  researches  after  truth;  and  the  precipitancy  with  which  they  have 
decided  upon  many  questions  of  importance;  are  proofs  of  this  assertion."  Me- 
moir concerning  the  fascinating  faculty  of  serpents. 


cxcu*  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

servation  and  inquiry  were,  who  resided  in  the  vicinity  of 
our  capital  cities,  he  did  not  condescend  to  inform  us;  if  he  had 
done  so,  we  should  be  enabled  to  determine,  whether  or  not 
they  were  capacitated  to  give  an  opinion  on  a  subject,  which 
requires  qualifications  of  a  peculiar  kind. 

At  the  time  in  which  the  professor  wrote  the  above  cited 
letter,  I  know  of  but  two  naturalists  in  the  United  States  whose 
opinions  ought  to  have  any  weight  on  the  question  before  us, 
and  these  were  William  Bartram  and  Alexander  Wilson,  both 
of  whom  have  recorded  their  testimony,  in  the  most  positive 
manner,  against  torpidity. 

The  "  Memoir  on  the  Migration  and  Torpidity  of  Swallows," 
wherein  Dr.  Barton  was  confident  he  should  be  able  to  convince 
every  candid  philosopher  of  the  truth  of  his  hypothesis  con- 
cerning these  birds,  never  issued  from  the  press,  although  so 
publicly  announced.  And  who  will  venture  to  say  that  he  did 
not,  by  this  suppression,  manifest  his  discretion?  When  Wil- 
son's volume,  wherein  the  swallows  are  given,  appeared,  it  is 
probable  that  the  author  of  the  "  Fragments"  was  made  sensi- 
ble that  he  had  been  writing  upon  subjects  of  which  he  had  lit- 
tle personal  knowledge;  and  therefore  he  wisely  relinquished 
the  task  of  instructing  philosophers,  in  these  matters,  to  those 
more  capable  than  himself  of  such  discussions. 

Naturalists  have  not  been  sufficiently  precise  when  they  have 
had  occasion  to  speak  of  torpidity.  They  have  employed  the 
term  to  express  that  torpor  or  numbness,  which  is  induced  by  a 
sudden  change  from  heat  to  cold,  such  as  is  annually  experienced 
in  our  climate  in  the  month  of  March,  and  which  frequently 
affects  swallows  to  so  great  a  degree  as  to  render  them  incapa- 
ble of  flight.  From  the  number  of  instances  on  record  of  these 
birds  having  been  found  in  this  state,  the  presumption  has  been 
that  they  were  capable  of  passing  into  a  state  of  torpidity,  simi- 
lar to  that  of  the  Marmots,  and  other  hybernating  animals. 

Smellie,  though  an  advocate  for  migration,  yet  admits  that 
swallows  may  become  torpid.  "  That  swallows,"  says  he,  "  in 
the  winter  months,  have  sometimes,  though  very  rarely,  been 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cxciii 

found  in  a  torpid  state,  is  unquestionably  true.  Mr.  Collinson 
gives  the  evidence  of  three  gentlemen  who  were  eye-witnesses 
to  a  number  of  sand-martins  being  drawn  out  of  a  cliff  on  the 
Rhine,  in  the  month  of  March,  1762."*  One  should  suppose 
that  Smellie  was  too  good  a  logician  to  infer  that,  because  swal- 
lows had  been  found  in  the  state  described,  they  had  remained 
in  that  state  all  winter.  A  little  more  knowledge  of  the  sub- 
ject would  have  taught  the  three  gentlemen  observers,  that  the 
poor  swallows  had  been  driven  to  their  retreat  by  cold  weather, 
which  had  surprised  them  in  their  vernal  migration;  and  that 
this  state  of  numbness,  falsely  called  torpidity ',  if  continued 
for  a  few  days,  would  for  ever  have  destroyed  them. 

It  is  now  time  to  resume  the  subject  of  Wilson's  Ornitholo- 
gy, as  the  reader  will,  probably,  consider  that  we  have  trans- 
gressed the  limits  which  our  digression  required. 

Dr.  Drake,  in  his  observations  upon  the  descriptive  abilities 
of  the  poet  Bloomfield,  thus  expresses  himself:  "  Milton  and 
Thomson  have  both  introduced  the  flight  of  the  sky-lark,  the 
first  with  his  accustomed  spirit  and  sublimity;  but  proba- 
bly no  poet  has  surpassed,  either  in  fancy  or  expression,  the 
following  prose  narrative  of  Dr.  Goldsmith.  "  Nothing,"  ob- 
serves he,  "  can  be  more  pleasing  than  to  see  the  Lark  warbling 
upon  the  wing;  raising  its  note  as  it  soars,  until  it  seems  lost 
in  the  immense  heights  above  us;  the  note  continuing,  the  bird 
itself  unseen;  to  see  it  then  descending  with  a  swell  as  it  comes 
from  the  clouds,  yet  sinking  by  degrees  as  it  approaches  its 
nest;  the  spot  where  all  its  affections  are  centred;  the  spot 
that  has  prompted  all  this  joy."  This  description  of  the  de- 
scent of  the  bird,  and  of  the  pleasures  of  its  little  nest,  is  con- 
ceived in  a  strain  of  the  most  exquisite  delicacy  and  feeling,  "t 

I  am  not  disposed  to  dispute  the  beauty  of  the  imagery  of  the 
above,  or  the  delicacy  of  its  expression;  but  I  should  wish  the 
reader  to  compare  it  with  Wilson's  description  of  the  Mocking- 

*  Philosophy  of  Natural  History,  chap.  20. 
I  Drake's  Literary  Hours,  No.  39,  Edition  of  1820, 
VOL.  I. — B  b 


CXciv  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

bird,   unquestionably  the  most  accomplished  songster  of  the 
feathered  race. 

"The  plumage  of  the    Mocking-bird,  though  none  of  the 
homeliest,  has  nothing  gaudy  or  brilliant  in  it;  and,  had  he  noth- 
ing else  to  recommend  him,  would  scarcely  entitle  him  to  no- 
tice; but  his  figure  is  well  proportioned,  and  even  handsome. 
The  ease,  elegance  and  rapidity  of  his  movements,  the  anima- 
tion of  his  eye,*  and  the  intelligence  he  displays  in  listening, 
and  laying  up  lessons  from  almost  every  species  of  the  feathered 
creation  within  his  hearing,  are  really  surprising,  and  mark  the 
peculiarity  of  his  genius.  To  these  qualities  we  may  add  that  of 
a  voice  full,  strong,  and  musical,  and  capable  of  almost  every 
modulation,  from  the  clear  mellow  tones  of  the  Wood  Thrush, 
to  the  savage  scream  of  the  Bald  Eagle.  In  measure  and  accent 
he  faithfully  follows  his  originals.  In  force  and  sweetness  of  ex- 
pression he  greatly  improves  upon  them.   In  his  native  groves, 
mounted  upon  the  top  of  a  tall  bush  or  half-grown  tree,  in  the 
dawn  of  dewy  morning,  while  the  woods  are  already  vocal 
with  a  multitude  of  warblers,  his  admirable  song  rises  pre-emi- 
nent over  every  competitor.     The  ear  can  listen  to  his  music 
alone,  to  which  that  of  all  the  others  seems  a  mere  accompani- 
ment.  Neither  is  this  strain  altogether  imitative.   His  own  na- 
tive notes,  which  are  easily  distinguishable  by  such  as  are  well 
acquainted  with  those  of  our  various  song  birds,  are  bold  and 
full,  and  varied  seemingly  beyond  all  limits.     They  consist 
of  short  expressions  of  two,  three,  or  at  the  most  five  or  six 
syllables;  generally  interspersed  with  imitations,  and  all  of  them 
uttered  wi.th  great  emphasis  and  rapidity;  and  continued,  with 
undiminished  ardour,  for  half  an  hour,  or  an  hour  at  a  time. 
His  expanded  wings  and  tail,  glistening  with  white,  and  the 
buoyant  gayety  of  his  action,  arresting  the  eye,  as  his  song  most 
irresistibly  does  the  ear.     He  sweeps  round  with  enthusiastic 
ecstasy — he  mounts  and  descends  as  his  song  swells  or  dies 
away;  and,  as  my  friend  Mr.  Bartram  has  beautifully  expressed 
it,   <  He  bounds  aloft  with  the  celerity  of  an  arrow,  as  if  to 

*  The  reader  is  referred  to  our  author's  figure  of  this  bird,  which  is  one  of 
the  most  spirited  drawings  that  the  records  of  natural  history  can  produce. 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  CXCV 

recover  his  very  soul,  which  expired  in  the  last  elevated  strain. ? 
While  thus  exerting  himself,  a  bystander,  destitute  of  sight, 
would  suppose  that  the  whole  feathered  tribes  had  assembled 
together,  on  a  trial  of  skill,  each  striving  to  produce  his  utmost 
effect,  so  perfect  are  his  imitations.     He  many  times  deceives 
the  sportsman,  and  sends  him  in  search  of  birds  that  perhaps  are 
not  within  miles  of  him;  but  whose  notes  he  exactly  imitates. 
Even  birds  themselves  are  frequently  imposed  on  by  this  admi- 
rable mimick,  and  are  decoyed  by  the  fancied  calls  of  their 
mates;  or  dive,  with  precipitation,  into  the  depths  of  thickets, 
at  the  scream  of  what  they  suppose  to  be  the  Sparrow  Hawk. 
"The  Mocking-bird  loses  little  of  the  power  and  energy  of 
his  song  by  confinement.     In  his  domesticated  state,  when  he 
commences  his  career  of  song,  it  is  impossible  to  stand  by  un- 
interested.  He  whistles  for  the  dog:  Caesar  starts  up,  wags  his 
tail,  and  runs  to  meet  his  master.     He  squeaks  out  like  a  hurt 
chicken,  and  the  hen  hurries  about  with  hanging  wings,  and 
bristled  feathers,  clucking  to  protect  her  injured  brood.  He  runs 
over  the  quiverings  of  the  Canary,  and  the  clear  whistlings  of 
the  Virginia  Nightingale  or  Red-bird,  with  such  superior  exe- 
cution and  effect,  that  the  mortified  songsters  feel  their  own 
inferiority,  and  become  altogether  silent;  while  he  seems  to 
triumph  in  their  defeat  by  redoubling  his  exertions. 

"This  excessive  fondness  for  variety,  however,  in  the  opi- 
nion of  some,  injures  his  song.  His  elevated  imitations  of  the 
Brown  Thrush  are  frequently  interrupted  by  the  crowing  of 
cocks;  and  the  warblings  of  the  Blue-bird,  which  he  exquisitely 
manages,  are  mingled  with  the  screaming  of  Swallows,  or  the 
cackling  of  hens;  amidst  the  simple  melody  of  the  Robin  we 
are  suddenly  surprised  by  the  shrill  reiterations  of  the  Whip- 
poorwill,  while  the  notes  of  the  Kildeer,  Blue  Jay,  Martin,  Bal- 
timore, and  twenty  others,  succeed,  with  such  imposing  reality, 
that  we  look  round  for  the  originals,  and  discover,  with  aston- 
ishment, that  the  sole  performer  in  this  singular  concert  is  the 
admirable  bird  now  before  us.  During  this  exhibition  of  his 
powers,  he  spreads  his  wings,  expands  his  tail,  and  throws  him- 


CXCVi  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

self  around  the  cage  in  all  the  ecstasy  of  enthusiasm,  seeming 
not  only  to  sing,  but  to  dance,  keeping  time  to  the  measure  of 
his  own  music.  Both  in  his  native  and  domesticated  state,  du- 
ring the  solemn  stillness  of  night,  as  soon  as  the  moon  rises  in 
silent  majesty,  he  begins  his  delightful  solo ;  and  serenades  us 
with  a  full  display  of  his  vocal  powers,  making  the  whole  neigh- 
bourhood ring  with  his  inimitable  medley." 

I  will  give  but  one  example  more  of  our  author's  descriptive 
powers,  and  that  will  be  found  in  his  history  of  the  Bald  Eagle. 
As  a  specimen  of  nervous  writing,  it  is  excellent;  in  its  imagery, 
it  is  unsurpassed;  and  in  the  accuracy  of  its  detail,  it  transcends 
all  praise. 

"  This  distinguished  bird,  as  he  is  the  most  beautiful  of  his 
tribe  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and  the  adopted  emblem  of  our 
country,  is  entitled  to  particular  notice.  He  has  been  long 
known  to  naturalists,  being  common  to  both  continents,  and  oc- 
casionally met  with  from  a  very  high  northern  latitude,  to  the 
borders  of  the  torrid  zone,  but  chiefly  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea, 
and  along  the  shores  and  cliffs  of  our  lakes  and  large  rivers. 
Formed  by  nature  for  braving  the  severest  cold;  feeding  equal- 
ly on  the  produce  of  the  sea,  and  of  the  land;  possessing  pow- 
ers of  flight  capable  of  outstripping  even  the  tempests  them- 
selves; unawed  by  any  thing  but  man;  and  from  the  ethereal 
heights  to  which  he  soars,  looking  abroad,  at  one  glance,  on  an 
immeasurable  expanse  of  forests,  fields,  lakes  and  ocean,  deep 
below  him;  he  appears  indifferent  to  the  little  localities  of  change 
of  seasons;  as  in  a  few  minutes  he  can  pass  from  summer  to 
winter,  from  the  lower  to  the  higher  regions  of  the  atmosphere, 
the  abode  of  eternal  cold;  and  thence  descend  at  will  to  the 
torrid  or  the  arctic  regions  of  the  earth.  He  is  therefore  found 
at  all  seasons  in  the  countries  which  he  inhabits;  but  prefers 
such  places  as  have  been  mentioned  above,  from  the  great  par- 
tiality he  has  for  fish. 

"  In  procuring  these  he  displays,  in  a  very  singular  manner, 
the  genius  and  energy  of  his  character,  which  is  fierce,  contem- 
plative, daring  and  tyrannical:  attributes  not  exerted  but  on 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  CXCvii 

particular  occasions;  but  when  put  forth,  overpowering  all  op- 
position.    Elevated  upon  a  high  dead  limb  of  some  gigantic 
tree,  that  commands  a  wide  view  of  the  neighbouring  shore 
and  ocean,  he  seems  calmly  to  contemplate  the  motions  of  the 
various  feathered  tribes  that  pursue  their  busy  avocations  below: 
the  snow-white  gulls  slowly  winnowing  the  air;  the  busy  Trin- 
gae  coursing  along  the  sands;  trains  of  ducks  streaming  over  the 
surface;  silent  and  watchful  Cranes,  intent  and  wading;  clamo- 
rous Crows,  and  all  the  winged  multitudes  that  subsist  by  the 
bounty  of  this  vast  liquid  magazine  of  nature.     High  over  all 
these  hovers  one,  whose  action  instantly  arrests  all  his  atten- 
tion.    By  his  wide  curvature  of  wing,  and  sudden  suspension 
in  air,  he  knows  him  to  be  the  Fish-hawk  settling  over  some 
devoted  victim  of  the  deep.     His  eye  kindles  at  the  sight,  and 
balancing  himself,  with  half-opened  wings,  on  the  branch,  he 
watches  the  result.    Down,  rapid  as  an  arrow  from  heaven,  de- 
scends the  distant  object  of  his  attention,  the  roar  of  its  wings 
reaching  the  ear  as  it  disappears  in  the  deep,  making  the  surges 
foam  around.     At  this  moment  the  looks  of  the  Eagle  are  all 
ardour;  and  levelling  his  neck  for  flight,  he  sees  the  Fish-hawk 
emerge,  struggling  with  his  prey,  and  mounting  into  the  air 
with  screams  of  exultation.     These  are  the  signal  for  our  hero, 
who,  lanching  into  the  air,  instantly  gives  chace,  soon  gains 
on  the  Fish-hawk,  each  exerts  his  utmost  to  mount  above  the 
other,  displaying  in  these  rencontres  the  most  elegant  and  sub- 
lime aerial  evolutions.     The  unincumbered  Eagle  rapidly  ad- 
vances, and  is  just  on  the  point  of  reaching  his  opponent,  when 
with  a  sudden  scream,  probably  of  despair  and  honest  execra- 
tion, the  latter  drops  his  fish;  the  Eagle  poising  himself  for  a 
moment,  as  if  to  take  a  more  certain  aim,  descends  like  a  whirl- 
wind, snatches  it  in  his  grasp  ere  it  reaches  the  water,  and  bears 
his  ill-gotten  booty  silently  away  to  the  woods. " 

Perhaps  there  is  no  similar  work  extant,  which  can  so  justly 
lay  claim  to  the  merit  of  originality  as  Wilson's  Ornithology. 
In  books  on  natural  history,  in  general,  we  rarely  meet  with 
much  that  is  new;  and  it  is  not  unusual  to  behold  laboured  per- 


cxcviii  LIFE  OF  WILSON. 

formances,  which  are  undistinguished  by  any  fact,  which  might 
prove  that  their  authors  are  entitled  to  any  other  praise  than 
that  of  diligent  compilers.  But  in  the  work  before  us,  we  are 
presented  with  a  fund  of  information  of  so  uncommon  a  kind, 
so  various,  and  so  interesting,  that  we  are  at  no  loss  to  perceive 
that  the  whole  is  the  result  of  personal  application,  directed  to 
the  only  legitimate  source  of  knowledge — Nature,  not  as  she 
appears  in  the  cabinet  of  the  collector,  but  as  she  reveals  her- 
self in  all  the  grace  and  loveliness  of  animated  existence. 

Independent  of  those  pleasing  descriptions,  which  will  al- 
ways ensure  the  work  a  favourable  reception,  it  has  higher 
claims  to  our  regard,  by  the  philosophical  view  which  it  takes 
of  those  birds  which  mankind  had,  with  one  consent,  proscribed 
as  noxious,  but  which  now  we  are  induced  to  consider  as  aux- 
iliaries in  agriculture,  whose  labours  could  not  be  dispensed 
with  without  detriment.  A  vagrant  chicken,  now  and  then, 
may  well  be  spared  to  the  hawk  or  owl  who  clears  our  fields 
of  swarms  of  destructive  mice;  the  woodpecker,  whose  taste 
induces  him  to  appropriate  to  himself  the  first  ripe  apple  or 
cherry,  has  well  earned  the  delicacy,  by  the  myriads  of  pesti- 
lential worms  of  which  he  has  rid  our  orchards,  and  whose 
ravages,  if  not  counteracted,  would  soon  deprive  us  of  all  fruit; 
if  the  crow  and  the  black-bird  be  not  too  greedy,  we  may  sure- 
ly spare  them  a  part  of  what  they  have  preserved  to  us,  since 
it  is  questionable,  if  their  fondness  for  grubs  or  cut-worms  did 
not  induce  them  to  destroy  these  enemies  of  the  maize,  whether 
or  not  a  single  stalk  of  this  inestimable  corn  would  be  allowed 
to  greet  the  view  of  the  American  farmer. 

The  beauties  of  this  work  are  so  transcendent,  that  its  faults, 
which  are,  in  truth,  mere  peccadillos,  are  hardly  perceptible; 
they  may  be  corrected  by  one  of  ordinary  application,  who 
needs  not  invoke  to  his  aid  either  much  learning  or  much  in- 
telligence. A  book  superior  in  its  typographical  execution, 
and  graphical  illustrations,  it  would  be  no  difficult  matter  to 
produce,  since  the  ingenuity  of  man  has  advanced  the  fine  arts 
to  a  state  of  perfection,  sufficient  to  gratify  the  most  fastidious 


LIFE  OF  WILSON.  cxcix 

choice;  but  who  could  rival  it  in  those  essentials  which  distin- 
guish it  from  all  other  similar  undertakings,  and  which  consti- 
tute it  one  of  the  most  valuable  offerings  to  natural  science 
which  taste  and  genius  has  ever  produced? 


INTRODUCTION. 


IN  the  commencement  of  a  work  of  such  magnitude,  and  so 
novel  in  this  country,  some  account  will  necessarily  be  expect- 
ed of  the  motives  of  the  author,  and  of  the  nature  and  intended 
execution  of  the  work.  As  to  the  former  of  these,  it  is  respect- 
fully submitted,  that,  amusement  blended  with  instruction,  the 
correction  of  numerous  errors  which  have  been  introduced  into 
this  part  of  the  natural  history  of  our  country,  and  a  wish  to 
draw  the  attention  of  my  fellow-citizens,  occasionally,  from 
the  discordant  jarrings  of  politics,  to  a  contemplation  of  the 
grandeur,  harmony,  and  wonderful  variety  of  Nature,  exhibit- 
ed in  this  beautiful  portion  of  the  animal  creation,  are  my  prin- 
cipal, and  almost  only,  motives,  in  the  present  undertaking.  I 
will  not  deny  that  there  may  also  be  other  incitements.  Bias- 
sed, almost  from  infancy,  by  a  fondness  for  birds,  and  little  less 
than  an  enthusiast  in  my  researches  after  them,  I  feel  happy  to 
communicate  my  observations  to  others,  probably  from  the 
mere  principle  of  self-gratification,  that  source  of  so  many  even 
of  our  most  virtuous  actions;  but  I  candidly  declare,  that  lu- 
crative views  have  nothing  to  do  in  the  business.  In  all  my 
wild-wood  rambles  these  never  were  sufficient  either  to  allure 
me  to  a  single  excursion,  to  discourage  me  from  one,  or  to  en- 
gage my  pen  or  pencil  in  the  present  publication.  My  hopes 
on  this  head  are  humble  enough;  I  ask  only  support  equal  to 
my  merits,  and  to  the  laudability  of  my  intentions.  I  expect 
no  more;  I  am  not  altogether  certain  even  of  this.  But  leaving 
the  issue  of  these  matters  to  futurity,  I  shall,  in  the  mean  time, 
comfort  myself  with  the  good  old  adage:  "  Happy  are  they 
who  expect  nothing,  for  they  shall  not  be  disappointed." 

As  to  the  nature  of  the  work,  it  is  intended  to  comprehend 
a  description  and  representation  of  every  species  of  our  native 

VOL.  i. — cc 


2  INTRODUCTION. 

birds,  from  the  shores  of  St.  Lawrence  to  the  mouths  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  from  the  Atlantic  ocean  to  the  interior  of  Lou- 
isiana: these  will  be  engraved  in  a  style  superior  to  any  thing 
of  the  kind  hitherto  published;  and  coloured  from  nature  with 
the  most  scrupulous  adherence  to  the  true  tints  of  the  original. 
The  bare  account  of  scientific  names,  colour  of  bills,  claws, 
feathers,  &c.  would  form  but  a  dry  detail;  neither,  in  a  publi- 
cation of  the  present  kind,  where  every  species  is  faithfully 
figured  and  coloured,  is  a  long  and  minute  description  of  the 
form,  and  feathers,  absolutely  necessary. — This  would,  in  the 
opinion  of  some,  be  like  introducing  a  gentleman  to  company, 

with  "  ladies  and  gentlemen,   "  Mr. .  He  has  on  a  blue 

coat — white  pantaloons — hussar  boots,"  fyc.  fyc.  while  a  single 
glance  of  the  eye,  over  the  person  himself,  told  us  all  this  be- 
fore the  orator  had  time  to  open  his  mouth;  so  infinitely  more 
rapidly  do  ideas  reach  us  through  the  medium  of  the  eye,  than 
by  that  of  the  ear.  But  as  time  may  prey  on  the  best  of  colours, 
what  is  necessary  in  this  respect  will  by  no  means  be  omitted, 
that  the  figures  and  descriptions  may  mutually  corroborate 
each  other.  It  is  also  my  design  to  enter  more  largely  than 
usual  into  the  manners  and  disposition  of  each  respective  spe- 
cies; to  become,  as  it  were,  their  faithful  biographer,  and  to 
delineate  their  various  peculiarities,  in  character,  song,  build- 
ing, economy,  &c.  as  far  as  my  own  observations  have  extend- 
ed, or  the  kindness  of  others  may  furnish  me  with  materials. 

The  ORNITHOLOGY  of  the  United  States  exhibits  a  rich  dis- 
play of  the  most  splendid  colours,  from  the  green,  silky,  gold- 
bespangled  down  of  the  minute  humming  bird,  scarce  three 
inches  in  extent,  to  the  black  coppery  wings  of  the  gloomy 
Condor,  of  sixteen  feet,  who  sometimes  visits  our  northern  re- 
gions— a  numerous  and  powerful  band  of  songsters,  that  for 
sweetness,  variety,  and  melody,  are  surpassed  by  no  country 
on  earth — an  ever-changing  scene  of  migration,  from  torrid  to 
temperate  and  from  northern  to  southern  regions,  in  quest  of 
suitable  seasons,  food,  and  climate;  and  such  an  amazing  diver- 
sity in  habit,  economy,  form,  disposition  and  faculties,  so  uni- 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

formly  hereditary  in  each  species,  and  so  completely  adequate 
to  their  peculiar  wants  and  convenience,  as  to  overwhelm  us 
with  astonishment  at  the  power,  wisdom  and  beneficence  of  the 
Creator! 

In  proportion  as  we  become  acquainted  with  these  particu- 
lars, our  visits  to,  and  residence  in  the  country,  become  more 
and  more  agreeable.  Formerly,  on  such  occasions,  we  found 
ourselves  in  solitude,  or  with  respect  to  the  feathered  tribes,  as 
it  were  in  a  strange  country,  where  the  manners,  language  and 
faces  of  all  were  either  totally  overlooked,  or  utterly  unknown 
to  us:  now,  we  find  ourselves  among  interesting  and  well- 
known  neighbours  and  acquaintance;  and,  in  the  notes  of  eve- 
ry songster,  recognize  with  satisfaction  the  voice  of  an  old 
friend  and  companion.  A  study  thus  tending  to  multiply  our 
enjoyments  at  so  cheap  a  rate,  and  to  lead  us,  by  such  pleasing 
gradations,  to  the  contemplation  and  worship  of  the  Great 
First  Cause,  the  Father  and  Preserver  of  all,  can  neither  be 
idle  nor  useless,  but  is  worthy  of  rational  beings,  and  doubtless 
agreeable  to  the  Deity. 

In  order  to  attain  a  more  perfect  knowledge  of  birds,  natu- 
ralists have  divided  them  into  orders,  genera,  species,  and 
varieties;  but  in  doing  this,  scarcely  two  have  agreed  on 
the  same  mode  of  arrangement,  and  this  has  indeed  proved  a 
source  of  great  perplexity  to  the  student.  Some  have  increas- 
ed the  number  of  orders  to  an  unnecessary  extent,  multiplied 
the  genera,  and,  out  of  mere  varieties,  produced  what  they 
supposed  to  be  entire  new  species.  Others,  sensible  of  the  im- 
propriety of  this,  and  wishing  to  simplify  the  science,  as  much 
as  possible,  have  reduced  the  orders  and  genera  to  a  few,  and 
have  thus  thrown  birds,  whose  food,  habits  and  other  charac- 
teristical  features  are  widely  different,  into  one  and  the  same 
tribe,  and  thereby  confounded  our  perception  of  that  beautiful 
gradation  of  affinity  and  resemblance,  which  Nature  herself 
seems  to  have  been  studious  of  preserving  throughout  the  whole. 
One  principal  cause  of  the  great  diversity  of  classifications,  ap- 
pears to  be  owing  to  the  neglect,  or  want  of  opportunity,  in 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

these  writers,  of  observing  the  manners  of  the  living  birds,  in 
their  unconfined  state,  and  in  their  native  countries.  As  well 
might  philosophers  attempt  to  class  mankind  into  their  respec- 
tive religious  denominations,  by  a  mere  examination  of  their 
physiognomy,  as  naturalists  to  form  a  correct  arrangement  of 
animals,  without  a  knowledge  of  these  necessary  particulars. 

It  is  only  by  personal  intimacy  that  we  can  truly  ascertain 
the  character  of  either,  more  particularly  that  of  the  feathered 
race;  noting  their  particular  haunts,  modes  of  constructing  their 
nests,  manner  of  flight,  seasons  of  migration,  favourite  food, 
and  numberless  other  minutiae,  which  can  only  be  obtained  by 
frequent  excursions  in  the  woods  and  fields,  along  lakes,  shores 
and  rivers;  and  require  a  degree  of  patience  and  perseverance 
which  nothing  but  an  enthusiastic  fondness  for  the  pursuit  can 
inspire. 

Of  the  numerous  systems  which  have  been  adopted  by  diffe- 
rent writers,  that  published  by  Dr.  Latham,  in  his  "  Index 
Ornithologicus,"  and  "  General  Synopsis  of  Birds,"  seems  the 
least  subject  to  the  objections  above-mentioned;  and  as,  in  par- 
ticularizing the  order,  genus,  &c.  to  which  each  bird  belongs, 
this  system,  with  some  necessary  exceptions,  has  been  gene- 
rally followed  in  the  present  work,  it  is  judged  proper  to  in- 
troduce it  here,  for  the  information,  and  occasional  consultation 
of  the  reader. 

TABLE 

OF  THE  ORDERS  AND  GENERA  OF  BIRDS, 

ACCORDING  TO  LATHAM. 

Ind.  Orn.  Syn.  of  Birds. 

AVIUM  ORDINES.  ORDERS  OF  BIRDS. 

DIV.  I.  DIV.  I. 

I.  Jlccipitres  Rapacious 

II.   Picas  Pies 

III.  Passeres  Passerine 

IV.  Columbx  Columbine 


INTRODUCTION. 


Ind.  Orn. 

V.   Gallinse 
VI.  Struthiones 

DIV.  II. 

VII.    Grallse 
VIII.   Pinnatipedes 
IX.  Palmipedes 

AVIUM  GENERA. 
DIV.   I. 

TERRESTRES. 

ORDO  I. 
ACCIPITRES. 

1  Fultur 

2  Falco 

3  Strix 


Syn.  of  Birds. 
Gallinaceous 
Struthious 

DIV.   II. 

Waders 
Pinnated  feet 
Web-footed 

GENERA  OF  BIRDS. 

DIV.  I. 
Z^JVZ)  BIRDS. 

ORDER  I. 
RAPACIOUS. 
Vulture 
Falcon 
Owl 


ORDO  II. 

ORDER  II. 

PIC^E. 

PIES. 

4  Lanius 

Shrike 

5  Psittachus 

Parrot 

6  Ramphastos 
7  Momotus 

Toucan 
Motmot 

8  Scythrops 
9  Buceros 

Channel-bill 
Hornbill 

10  Buphaga 
11  Crotophaga 
11  *Musophaga 
12  Callseas 

Beef-eater 
Ani 
Plantain-eater 
Wattle-bird 

13  Corvus 

Crow 

14  Coracias 

Roller 

15  Qriolus 

Oriole 

16  Gracula 

Grakle 

17  Paradissea 

Paradise-bird 

18  Trogon 
19  Bucco 

Curucui 
Barbet 

20  Cuculus 

Cuckoo 

INTRODUCTION. 


Ind.   Orn. 

21  Yunks 

22  Picus 

23  Galbula 

24  Mcedo 

25  Sitta 

26  Todus 

27  Merops 

28  Upupa 

29  Certhia 

30  Trochilus 

ORDO  III. 
PASSERES. 

31  Sturnus 

32  Turdus 

33  Jlmpelis 

34  Colius 

35  Loxia 

36  Emberiza 

37  Tanagra 

38  Fringilla 

39  Phytotoma 

40  Muscicapa 

41  Mauda 

42  Motacilla 

43  Sylvia 

44  Pipra 

45  Parus 

46  Hirundo 

47  Caprimulgus 

ORDO  IV. 
COLUMB^E. 

48  Columba 


Syn.  of  Birds. 

Wryneck 

Woodpecker 

Jacamar 

Kingsfisher 

Nuthatch 

Tody 

Bee-eater 

Hoopoe 

Creeper 

Humming-bird 

ORDER  III. 
PASSERINE. 

Starling 

Thrush 

Chatterer 

Coly 

Grosbeak 

Bunting 

Tanager 

Finch 

Plant-cutter 

Flycatcher 

Lark 

Wagtail 

Warbler 

Manakin 

Titmouse 

Swallow 

Goatsucker 

ORDER  IV. 
COLUMBINE. 

Pigeon 


INTRODUCTION. 


Ind.  Orn. 


Syn.  of  Birds. 


ORDO  V. 

ORDER  V. 

GALLINJE. 

GALLINACEOUS. 

49  Pavo 

Peacock 

50  Meleagris 

Turkey 

51  Penelope 

Guan 

52  Numida 

Pintado 

53  Crax 

Curassow 

53  *Menura 

Menura 

54  Phasianus 

Pheasant 

55  Tinamus 

Tinamou 

56  Tetrao 

Grous 

57  Per&r 

Partridge 

58  Psophia 

Trumpeter 

59  O/& 

Bustard 

ORDO  VI. 

ORDER  VI. 

STRUTHIONES. 

STRUTHIOUS. 

60  Didus 

Dodo 

61  Struthio 

African  Ostrich 

62  Casuarius 

Cassowary 

63  7?Aea 

American  Ostrich 

DIV.    II. 

DIV  II. 

AVES  AQUATIC&. 

WATER  BIRDS. 

ORDO   VII. 

ORDER  VII. 

GRALL^E. 

WADERS. 

64  Platalea 

Spoonbill 

65  Palamedea 

Screamer 

66  Mycteria 

Jabiru 

67  Cancroma 

Boatbill 

68  Scopus 

Umbre 

69  rflrdea 

Heron 

70  Tantalus 

Ibis 

71  Numenius 

Curlew 

72  Scolopax 

Snipe 

73  Tringa 

Sandpiper 

INTRODUCTION. 


Ind.  Orn. 

74  Charadrius 

75  Cursorius 

76  Hdematopus 

77  Glareola 

78  Rallus 

79  Parr  a 

79  *Cereopsis 

80  Gallinula 

81  Vaginalis 

ORDO   VIII. 
PENNATIPEDES. 

82  Phalaropus 

83  Fulica 

84  Podiceps 

ORDO  IX. 
PALMIPEDES. 

t  Pedibus  longioribus. 

85  Recurvirostra 

86  Corrira 

87  Ph&nicopterus 

tt  Pedibus  brevioribus. 

88  Diomedea 
89 

90 

91  Colymbus 

92  Rynchops 

93  iSfcjraa 

94  Larus 

95  Procellaria 

96  Mergus 

97  ^no* 

98  Jlptenodytes 

99  Pelicanus 
100  Phaeton 
101 


*%n.  of  Birds. 

Plover 

Courser 

Oyster-catcher 

Prantincole 

Rail 

Jacana 

Cereopsis 

Gallinule 

Sheath-bill 

ORDER  VIII. 
PINNATED  FEET. 
Phalarope 
Coot 
Grebe 

ORDER  IX. 
WEB-FOOTED. 
t  With  long  legs. 
Avocet 
Courier 
Flamingo 
tt  With  short  legs. 
Albatross 
Auk 

Guillemot 
Diver 
Skimmer 
Tern 
Gull 
Petrel 
Merganser 
Duck 
Penguin 
Pelican 
Tropic-bird 
Darter 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

It  may  probably  be  expected,  that,  in  a  publication  of  this 
kind,  we  should  commence  with  the  order  ACCIPITRES,  and 
proceed,  regularly,  through  the  different  orders  and  genera,  ac- 
cording to  the  particular  system  adopted.     This,  however  de- 
sirable, is  in  the  present  case  altogether  impracticable;  unless, 
indeed,  we  possessed  living  specimens,  or  drawings,  of  every 
particular  species  to  be  described;  an  acquisition  which  no  pri- 
vate individual,  nor  public  Museum  in  the  world,  can,  as  yet, 
boast  of.     This  work  is  not  intended  to  be  a  mere  compilation 
from  books,  with  figures  taken  from  stuffed  and  dried  birds, 
which  would  be  but  a  sorry  compliment  to  the  science;  but  a 
transcript  from  living  Nature,  embracing  the  whole  Ornitholo- 
gy of  the  United  States;  and  as  it  is  highly  probable  that  nu- 
merous species,  at  present  entirely  unknown,  would  come  into 
our  possession  long  after  that  part  of  the  work  appropriated  for 
the  particular  genera  to  which  they  belonged  had  been  finished, 
and  thereby  interrupt,  in  spite  of  every  exertion,  the  regularity 
of  the  above  arrangement,  or  oblige  us  to  omit  them  altogether: 
considering  these  circumstances,  and  that  during  the  number 
of  years  which  the  completion  of  the  present  work  will  neces- 
sarily occupy,  the  best  opportunities  will  be  afforded,  and  eve- 
ry endeavour  used,  to  procure  drawings  of  the  whole,  a  diffe- 
rent mode  has  been  adopted,  as  being  more  agreeably  diversi- 
fied, equally  illustrative  of  the  science,  and  perfectly  practica- 
ble; which  the  other  is  not.     The  birds  will,  therefore,  appear 
without  regard  to  generical  arrangement;  but  the  order,  genus, 
&c.  of  each  will  be  particularly  noted;  and  a  complete  Index 
added  to  the  whole,  in  which  every  species  will  be  arranged 
in  systematic  order,  with  reference  to  the  volume,  page,  and 
plate,  where  each  figure  and  description  may  be  instantly  found. 
From  the  great  expense  of  engravings  executed  by  artists  of 
established  reputation,  many  of  those  who  have  published  works 
of  this  kind,  have  had  recourse  to  their  own  ingenuity  in  etch- 
ing their  plates;  but,  however  honourable  this  might  have  been 
to  their  industry,  it  has  been  injurious  to  the  effect  intended  to 
be  produced  by  the  figures;  since  the  pointy  alone,  is  not  suffi- 
VOL.  i. — D  d 


10  INTRODUCTION 

cient  to  produce  a  finished  engraving;  and  many  years  of  ap- 
plication are  necessary  to  enable  a  person,  whatever  may  be 
his  talents  or  diligence,  to  handle  the  graver  with  the  facility 
and  effect  of  the  pencil;  while  the  time,  thus  consumed,  might 
be  more  advantageously  employed  in  finishing  drawings,  and 
collecting  facts  for  the  descriptive  part,  which  is  the  proper  pro- 
vince of  the  Ornithologist.  Every  person  who  is  acquainted 
with  the  extreme  accuracy  of  eminent  engravers,  must  likewise 
be  sensible  of  the  advantage  of  having  the  imperfections  of  the 
pencil  corrected  by  the  excellence  of  the  graver.  Every  im- 
provement of  this  kind  the  author  has  studiously  availed  him- 
self of;  and  has  frequently  furnished  the  artist  with  the  living 
or  newly-killed  subject  itself  to  assist  his  ideas. 

In  colouring  the  impressions,  the  same  scrupulous  attention 
has  been  paid  to  imitate  the  true  tints  of  the  original.  The 
greatest  number  of  the  descriptions,  particularly  those  of  the 
nests,  eggs,  and  plumage,  have  been  written  in  the  woods, 
with  the  subjects  in  view,  leaving  as  little  as  possible  to  the 
lapse  of  recollection :  as  to  what  relates  to  the  manners,  habits, 
&c.  of  the  birds,  the  particulars  on  these  heads  are  the  result  of 
personal  observation,  from  memoranda  taken  on  the  spot;  if 
they  differ,  as  they  will  in  many  points,  from  former  accounts, 
this  at  least  can  be  said  in  their  behalf,  that  a  single  fact  has 
not  been  advanced  which  the  writer  was  not  himself  witness 
to,  or  received  from  those  on  whose  judgment  and  veracity  he 
believed  reliance  could  be  placed.  When  his  own  stock  of  ob- 
servations has  been  exhausted,  and  not  till  then,  he  has  had  re- 
course to  what  others  have  said  on  the  same  subject,  and  all 
the  most  respectable  performances  of  a  similar  nature  have 
been  consulted,  to  which  access  could  be  obtained ;  not  neglect- 
ing the  labours  of  his  predecessors  in  this  particular  path, 
Messrs.  Catesby  and  Edwards,  whose  memories  he  truly  re- 
spects. But,  as  a  sacred  regard  to  truth  requires  that  the  er- 
rors or  inadvertencies  of  these  authors,  as  well  as  of  others, 
should  be  noticed,  and  corrected,  let  it  not  be  imputed  to  un- 
worthy motives,  but  to  its  true  cause,  a  zeal  for  the  promotion 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

of  that  science,  in  which  these  gentlemen  so  much  delighted, 
and  for  which  they  have  done  so  much. 

From  the  writers  of  our  own  country  the  author  has  derived 
but  little  advantage.  The  first  considerable  list  of  our  birds 
was  published  in  1787,  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  in  his  celebrated 
"  Notes  on  Virginia,"  and  contains  the  names  of  109  species, 
with  the  designations  of  Linnaeus  and  Catesby,  and  references 
to  Buffon.  The  next,  and  by  far  the  most  complete  that  has 
yet  appeared,  was  published  in  1791,  by  Mr.  William  Bartram, 
in  his  "  Travels  through  North  and  South  Carolina,"  &c.  in 
which  two  hundred  and  fifteen  different  species  are  enumerated, 
and  concise  descriptions  and  characteristics  of  each  added,  in 
Latin  and  English.  Dr.  Barton,  in  his  "Fragments  of  the  Na- 
tural History  of  Pennsylvania,"  has  favoured  us  with  a  number 
of  remarks  on  this  subject;  and  Dr.  Belknap,  in  his  "  History 
of  New  Hampshire,"  as  well  as  Dr.  Williams,  in  that  of  Ver- 
mont, have  each  enumerated  a  few  of  our  birds.  But  these, 
from  the  nature  of  the  publications  in  which  they  have  been 
introduced,  can  be  considered  only  as  catalogues  of  names, 
without  the  detail  of  specific  particulars,  or  the  figured  and  co- 
loured representations  of  the  birds  themselves.  This  task,  the 
hardest  of  all,  has  been  reserved  for  one  of  far  inferior  abilities, 
but  not  of  less  zeal.  With  the  example  of  many  solitary  indi- 
viduals, in  other  countries,  who  have  succeeded  in  such  an  en- 
terprise, he  has  cheerfully  engaged  in  the  undertaking,  trusting 
for  encouragement  solely  to  the  fidelity  with  which  it  will  be 
conducted. 


AMERICAN  ORNITHOLOGY. 

DIV.  I.  AVES  TERRESTRES.  LAND  BIRDS. 

ORDER  I.  ACCIPITRES.  RAPACIOUS. 
GENUS  I.  VULTUR*  VULTURES. 

SPECIES  I.    V.  AURtf. 
TURKEY  VULTURE  OR  TURKEY-BUZZARD. 

[Plate  LXXV.  Fig.  1.] 

Vultur  aura,  LINN.  Syst.  ed.  10,  torn.  i,p.  86,  4. — 2nd.  Orn.p.  4, 
«/Vo.  8. — VIEILLOT,  OLs.  de  VAm.  Sept.  i,  p.  25,  pi.  2,  bis. — Car- 
rion Crow,  SLOANE,  Jam.  n,  p.  294,  tab.  254. — Carrion  Vulture, 
LATH.  Gen.  Syn.  i,  p.  9. — Le  Vautour  du  Bresil,  BRISS.  i,  p. 
468. — Turkey- Buzzard,  CATESBY,  Car.  i,  p.  6. — BARTRAM'S 
Travels,  p.  289. — Cozcaquauhlli,  CLAVIGEUO,  Hist.  Mex.  i,  p. 
47,  English  translation. — American  Vulture,  SHAW,  Gen.  Zool. 
\u,  p.  36. — PEALE'S  MUSEUM,  JVt>.  11,  male — 12,  female. 

THIS  species  is  well  known  throughout  the  United  States, 
but  is  most  numerous  in  the  southern  section  of  the  union.  In 
the  northern  and  middle  states  it  is  partially  migratory,  the  great- 
er part  retiring  to  the  south  on  the  approach  of  cold  weather. 
But  numbers  remain  all  the  winter  in  Maryland,  Delaware  and 
New  Jersey;  particularly  in  the  vicinity  of  the  large  rivers,  and 
the  ocean,  which  afford  a  supply  of  food  at  all  seasons. 

*  This  genus,  has  been  divided  into  several  genera,  by  modern  ornitholo- 
gists. Temminck  adopts  the  four  following;  1.  Vultur.  (Illiger).  2.  Cathartes 
(Illiger).  3.  Gypaetus.  (Storr.)  4.  Gypogeranus.  (Illiger).  The  two  follow- 
ing species  belong  to  the  second  of  these,  the  genus  Cathartes  of  Illiger.  No 
true  Vulture  in  the  present  restricted  acceptation  of  that  genus  has  been  found 
in  America. 


14  TURKEY  VULTURE. 

In  New  Jersey,*  the  Turkey-buzzard  hatches  in  May,  the 
deep  recesses  of  the  solitary  swamps  of  that  state  affording  si- 
tuations well  suited  to  the  purpose.  The  female  is  at  no  pains  to 
form  a  nest  with  materials;  but  having  chosen  a  suitable  place, 
which  is  either  a  truncated  hollow  tree,  or  an  excavated  stump 
or  log,  she  lays  on  the  rotten  wood  from  two  to  four  eggs,  of  a 
dull  dirty  white,  splashed  all  over  with  chocolate,  mingled  with 
blackish  touches,  the  blotches  largest  and  thickest  towards  the 
great  end;  the  form  somewhat  like  the  egg  of  a  goose,  but 
blunter  at  the  small  end;  length  two  inches  and  three  quarters, 
breadth  two  inches.  The  male  watches  often  while  the  female 
is  sitting;  and  if  not  disturbed  they  will  occupy  the  same  breed- 
ing place  for  several  years.  The  young  are  clothed  with  a 
whitish  down,  similar  to  that  which  covers  young  goslings.  If 
any  person  approach  the  nest,  and  attempt  to  handle  them,  they 
will  immediately  vomit  such  offensive  matter,  as  to  compel  the 
intruder  to  a  precipitate  retreat. 

The  Turkey-buzzards  are  gregarious,  peaceable  and  harmless; 
never  offering  any  violence  to  a  living  animal,  or,  like  the  plun- 
derers of  the  Falco  tribe,  depriving  the  husbandman  of  his  stock. 
Hence,  though  in  consequence  of  their  filthy  habits  they  are 
not  beloved,  yet  they  are  respected  for  their  usefulness;  and  in 
the  southern  states,  where  they  are  most  needed,  they,  as  well 
as  the  black  vultures,  are  protected  by  a  law,  which  imposes 
a  fine  on  those  who  wilfully  deprive  them  of  life.  In  the  mid- 
dle and  northern  states,  being  unprotected  by  law,  these  useful 
birds  are  exposed  to  persecution,  and,  consequently,  they  avoid 
the  residence  of  man.  They  generally  roost  in  flocks,  upon  the 
limbs  of  large  trees;  and  they  may  be  seen  in  a  summer's  morn- 
ing, spreading  out  their  wings  to  the  rising  sun,  and  remain- 
ing in  that  posture  for  a  considerable  time.  Pennant  conjectures 
that  this  is  "  to  purify  their  bodies,  which  are  most  offensively 

*  The  author  mentions  New  Jersey  in  particular,  as  in  that  state  he  has  visi- 
ted the  breeding  places  of  the  Turkey-buzzard,  and  can  therefore  speak  with 
certainty  of  the  fact.  Pennsylvania,  it  is  more  than  probable,  affords  situations 
equally  attractive,  which  are  also  tenanted  by  this  Vulture,  for  hatching  and 
rearing  its  young. 


TURKEY  VULTURE.  15 

fetid."  But  is  it  reasonable  to  suppose  that  that  effluvia  can  be 
offensive  to  them,  which  arises  from  food  perfectly  adapted  to 
their  nature,  and  which  is  constantly  the  object  of  their  desires? 
Many  birds,  and  particularly  those  of  the  granivorous  kind, 
have  a  similar  habit,  which,  doubtless,  is  attended  with  the 
same  exhilarating  effect,  that  an  exposure  to  the  pure  air  of  the 
morning  has  on  the  frame  of  one  just  risen  from  repose. 

The  Turkey-buzzards,  unless  when  rising  from  the  earth, 
seldom  flap  their  wings,  but  sweep  along  in  ogees,  and  dipping 
and  rising  lines,  and  move  with  great  rapidity.  They  are  often 
seen  in  companies,  soaring  at  an  immense  height,  particularly 
before  a  thunderstorm.  Their  wings  are  not  spread  horizontal- 
ly, but  form  an  acute  angle  with  the  body,  the  tips  having  an 
upward  curve.  Their  sense  of  smelling  is  astonishingly  exqui- 
site,* and  they  never  fail  to  discover  carrion,  even  when  at  the 
distance  from  it  of  several  miles.  When  once  they  have  found  a 
carcass  they  will  not  leave  the  place,  if  unmolested,  till  the  whole 
is  devoured.  At  such  times  they  eat  so  immoderately,  that 
frequently  they  are  incapable  of  rising,  and  may  be  caught 
without  much  difficulty;  but  few  that  are  acquainted  with  them 
will  have  the  temerity  to  undertake  the  task.  A  man  in  the 
state  of  Delaware,  a  few  years  ago,  observing  some  Turkey-buz- 
zards regaling  themselves  upon  the  carcass  of  a  horse,  which 
was  in  a  highly  putrid  state,  conceived  the  design  of  making  a 
captive  of  one,  to  take  home  for  the  amusement  of  his  children. 

*  The  British  public  has  lately  been  amused  with  the  tales  of  a  traveller, 
on  some  of  the  animals  of  our  country.  Among  several  particulars,  which 
force  themselves  upon  the  attention  of  the  American  reader  by  their  novelty, 
we  are  presented  with  the  result  of  a  series  of  experiments,  which  were  insti- 
tuted to  prove,  that  the  Turkey-buzzard  does  not  possess  the  sense  of  smel- 
ling! This  important  enunciation  would  be  calculated  to  disabuse  us,  with  re- 
spect to  the  popular  opinion  on  this  subject,  did  we  not  recollect,  that  the 
sense  of  seeing- had,  also,  by  some  ingenious  naturalists,  been  denied  to  the 
Mole;  and  that  the  Bird  of  Paradise  had  been  affirmed  to  be  deficient  of  those 
useful  organs  of  locomotion — legsl  The  lovers  of  romance  may  now  felicitate 
themselves  upon  the  ascendancy  of  an  observer,  whose  credible  narratives  may 
aspire  to  the  honour  of  ranking  with  the  tales  of  the  artless  John  Dunn  Hun- 
ter, or  the  wonders  of  that  pink  of  veracity,  the  renowned  Sir  John  Mandeville. 


16  TURKEY  VULTURE. 

He  cautiously  approached,  and  springing  upon  the  unsuspicious 
group,  grasped  a  fine  plump  fellow  in  his  arms,  and  was  bear- 
ing off  his  prize  in  triumph,  when  lo !  the  indignant  Vulture  dis- 
gorged such  a  torrent  of  filth  in  the  face  of  our  hero,  that  it 
produced  all  the  effects  of  the  most  powerful  emetic,  and  for 
ever  cured  him  of  his  inclination  for  Turkey-buzzards. 

On  the  continent  of  America  this  species  inhabits  a  vast  range 
of  territory,  being  common,*  it  is  said,  from  Nova  Scotia  to 
Terra  del  Fuego.t  How  far,  on  the  Pacific,  to  the  northward 
of  the  river  Columbia,  they  are  found,  we  are  not  informed; 
but  it  is  ascertained  that  they  extend  their  migrations  to  the 
latter,  allured  thither  by  the  quantity  of  dead  salmon,  which  at 
certain  seasons  line  its  shores. 

They  are  numerous  in  the  West  India  islands,  where  they 
are  said  to  be  "  far  inferior  in  size  to  those  of  North  America.  "J 
This  leads  us  to  the  inquiry,  whether  or  not  the  present  species 
has  been  confounded  by  the  naturalists  of  Europe,  with  the 
Black  Vulture,  or  Carrion  Crow,  which  is  so  common  in  the 
southern  parts  of  our  continent.  If  not,  why  has  the  latter  been 
totally  overlooked  in  the  most  noted  Ornithologies  with  which 
the  world  has  been  favoured,  when  it  is  so  conspicuous  and 
remarkable,  that  there  is  no  stranger  who  visits  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  or  the  Spanish  provinces,  but  is  immediately  struck 
with  the  novelty  of  its  appearance?  We  can  find  no  cause  for 
the  Turkey-buzzards  of  the  islands§  being  smaller  than  ours, 

*  In  the  northern  states  of  our  union  the  Turkey-buzzard  is  only  occasional- 
ly seen,  it  is  considered  a  rare  bird  by  the  inhabitants. 

f  Great  numbers  of  a  species  of  Vulture,  commonly  called  Carrion  Crow  by 
the  sailors,  (  Vullur  aura,)  were  seen  upon  this  island  (New-year's  island,  near 
Cape  Horn,  lat.  55  S.  67  W.)  and  probably  feed  on  young  seal-cubs,  which 
either  die  in  the  birth,  or  which  they  take  an  opportunity  to  seize  upon.'* 
Cook  calls  them  Turkey-buzzards.  Forster's  Voy.  n,  p.  516,  quarto,  London, 
1777. 

$  Pennant,  Arctic  Zoology. 

§  The  Vulture  which  Sir  Hans  Sloane  figured  and  described,  and  which  he 
says  is  common  in  Jamaica,  is  undoubtedly  the  Vultur  aura;  "  The  head  and 
an  inch  in  the  neck  are  bare  and  without  feathers,  of  a  flesh  colour,  cov- 
ered with  a  thin  membrame,  like  that  of  turkies,  with  which  the  most  part  of 
the  bill  is  covered  likewise;  bill  (below  the  membrane)  more  than  an  inch 


TURKEY  VULTURE.  17 

and  must  conclifde  that  the  Carrion-crow,  which  is  of  less  size, 
has  been  mistaken  for  the  former.  In  the  history  which  follows, 
we  shall  endeavour  to  make  it  evident  that  the  species  describ- 
ed by  Ulloa,  as  being  so  numerous  in  South  America,  is  no 
other  than  the  Black  Vulture. 

Kolben,  in  his  account  of  the  Cape  of  Good-Hope,  mentions 
a  Vulture,  which  he  represents  as  very  voracious  and  noxious: 
66 1  have  seen,"  says  he,  "many  carcasses  of  cows,  oxen  and 
other  tame  creatures  which  the  Eagles  had  slain.  I  say  carcas- 
ses, but  they  were  rather  skeletons,  the  flesh  and  entrails  being 
all  devoured,  and  nothing  remaining  but  the  skin  and  bones. 
But  the  skin  and  bones  being  in  their  natural  places,  the  flesh 
being,  as  it  were,  scooped  out,  and  the  wound,  by  which  the 
Eagles  enter  the  body,  being  ever  in  the  belly,  you  would  not, 
till  you  had  come  up  to  the  skeleton,  have  had  the  least  suspi- 
cion that  any  such  matter  had  happened.  The  Dutch  at  the  Cape 
frequently  call  those  Eagles,  on  account  of  their  tearing  out  the 
entrails  of  beasts,  Strunt-  Vogels,  i.  e.  Dung-birds.  It  frequent- 
ly happens,  that  an  ox  that  is  freed  from  the  plough,  and  left  to 
find  his  way  home,  lies  down  to  rest  himself  by  the  way;  and 
if  he  does  so,  'tis  a  great  chance  but  the  Eagles  ./a//  upon  him 
and  devour  him.  They  attack  an  ox  or  cow  in  a  body,  consist- 
ing of  an  hundred  and  upwards."* 

Buffon  conjectures  that  this  murderous  Vulture  is  the  Turkey- 
buzzard  ;  and  concludes  his  history  of  the  latter  with  the  follow- 
ing invective  against  the  whole  fraternity:  "In  every  part  of 
the  globe  they  are  voracious,  slothful,  offensive  and  hateful,  and, 
like  the  wolves,  are  as  noxious  during  their  life,  as  useless  af- 
ter their  death." 

It  turns  out,  however,  that  this  ferocious  Vulture  is  not  the 
Turkey-buzzard,  as  may  be  seen  in  Levaillant's  "  Histoire  Na- 
turelle  des  Oiseaux  d'  Afrique,"  vol.  i,  pi.  10,  where  the  Chasse- 

loiig1,  whitish  at  the  point;  tail  broad  and  nine  inches  long";  leg's  and  feet 
three  inches  long-;  it  flies  exactly  like  a  Kite,  and  preys  on  nothing  living,  but 
when  dead  it  devours  their  carcasses,  whence  they  are  not  molested."  Sloane, 
Nat.  Hist.  Jam.  vol.  n,  p.  294,  folio. 

*  Medley's  Kolben,  vol.  u,  p.  135. 
VOL.  i. — E  e 


18  TURKEY  VULTURE. 

fiente,  or  Strunt-Vogel,  is  figured  and  described.  The  truth  of 
Kolben's  story  is  doubtful  j  and  we  would  express  our  regret, 
that  enlightened  naturalists  should  so  readily  lend  an  ear  to  the 
romances  of  travellers,  who,  to  excite  astonishment,  freely  give 
currency  to  every  ridiculous  tale,  which  the  designing  or  the 
credulous  impose  upon  them. 

The  Turkey  Vulture  is  two  feet  and  a  half  in  length,  and  six 
feet  two  inches  in  breadth ;  the  bill,  from  the  corner  of  the  mouth, 
is  almost  two  inches  and  a  half  long,  of  a  dark  horn  colour,  for 
somewhat  more  than  an  inch  from  the  tip,  the  nostril  a  remark- 
ably wide  slit  or  opening  through  it;  the  tongue  is  greatly  con- 
cave, cartilaginous,  and  finely  serrated  on  its  edges;  ears  sub- 
cordate;  eyes  dark,  in  some  specimens  reddish  hazel;  wrinkled 
skin  of  the  head  and  neck  reddish;  the  neck  not  so  much  car- 
uncled  as  that  of  the  Black  Vulture;  from  the  hind-head  to  the 
neck  feathers,  the  space  is  covered  with  down,  of  a  sooty  black 
colour;  the  fore  part  of  the  neck  is  bare  as  far  as  the  breastbone, 
the  skin  on  the  lower  part,  or  pouch,  very  much  wrinkled,  this 
naked  skin  is  not  discernible  without  removing  the  plumage 
which  arches  over  it;  the  whole  lower  parts,  lining  of  the  wings, 
rump  and  tail-coverts,  are  of  a  sooty  brown,  the  feathers  of  the 
belly  and  vent  hairy;  the  plumage  of  the  neck  is  large  and  tu- 
mid, and,  with  that  of  the  back  and  shoulders,  black;  the  scap- 
ulars and  secondaries  are  black  on  their  outer  webs,  skirted 
with  tawny  brown,  the  latter  slightly  tipped  with  white;  pri- 
maries and  their  coverts  plain  brown,  the  former  pointed,  third 
primary  the  longest;  coverts  of  the  secondaries,  and  lesser  cov- 
erts, tawny  brown,  centred  with  black,  some  of  the  feathers, 
at  their  extremities,  slightly  edged  with  white;  the  tail  is  twelve 
inches  long,  rounded,  of  a  brownish  black,  and  composed  of 
twelve  feathers,  which  are  broad  at  their  extremities;  inside  of 
wings  and  tail  light  ash ;  the  wings  reach  to  the  end  of  the  tail; 
the  whole  body  and  neck,  beneath  the  plumage,  are  thickly 
clothed  with  a  white  down,  which  feels  like  cotton;  the  shafts 
of  the  primaries  arc  yellowish  white  above,  and  those  of  the 
tail  brown,  both  pure  white  below;  the  plumage  of  the  neck. 


TURKEY  VULTURE.  19 

back,  shoulders,  scapulars  and  secondaries,  is  glossed  with  green 
and  bronze,  and  has  purple  reflections;  the  thighs  are  feathered 
to  the  knees ;  feet  considerably  webbed ;  middle  toe  three  inches 
and  a  half  in  length,  and  about  an  inch  and  a  half  longer  than 
the  outer  one,  which  is  the  next  longest;  the  sole  of  the  foot  is 
hard  and  rough;  claws  dark  horn  colour;  the  legs  are  of  a  pale 
flesh  colour,  and  three  inches  long.  The  claws  are  larger,  but 
the  feet  slenderer,  than  those  of  the  Carrion-crow.  The  bill  of 
the  male  is  pure  white,  in  some  specimens  the  upper  mandible 
is  tipt  with  black.  There  is  little  or  no  other  perceptible  diffe- 
rence between  the  sexes. 

The  bird  from  which  the  foregoing  description  was  taken, 
was  shot  for  this  work,  at  Great  Egg-harbour,  the  thirtieth  of 
January.  It  was  a  female,  in  perfect  plumage,  excessively  fat, 
and  weighed  five  pounds  one  ounce,  avoirdupois.  On  dissection, 
it  emitted  a  slight  musky  odour. 

The  Vulture  is  included  in  the  catalogue  of  those  fowls  declar- 
ed unclean,  and  an  abomination,  by  the  Levitical  constitution, 
and  which  the  Israelites  were  interdicted  eating.  *  We  presume 
that  this  prohibition  was  religiously  observed,  so  far  at  least  as 
it  related  to  the  whole  family  of  the  Vultures,  from  whose  flesh 
there  arises  such  an  unsavoury  odour,  that  we  question  if  all  the 
sweetening  processes  ever  invented,  could  render  it  palatable 
to  a  Jew,  Pagan,  or  Christain. 

Temmmck,  and  some  recent  ornithologists,  have  separated 
our  Vultures  from  the  genus  Vultur,  and  have  classed  them 
under  the  genus  Cathartes  of  Illiger.  It  should  seem  that  there 
is  a  propriety  in  this  arrangement;  but  as  Wilson  published,  in 
his  sixth  volume,  the  catalogue  of  his  land  birds,  adopting  the 
genus  Vultur,  as  sanctioned  by  Latham,  we  have  not  thought 
proper,  in  this  instance,  to  deviate  from  his  plan.t 

*  Leviticus,  xi,  14.  Deuteronomy,  xiv,  13. 
f  From  Mr.  Ord's  supplementary  volume. 


. 

SPECIES  2.    VULTUR  JOTJi. 
BLACK  VULTURE,  OR  CARRION-CROW. 

[Plate  LXXV.— Fig.  2.] 

Vultur  jota,  GMEL.  Syst.  i,  p.  247. — MOLINA,  Hist.  Chili,  i,  p. 
185,  Am.  trans. — Zopilot,  CLAVIGERO,  Hist.  Meoc.  i,  p.  47, 
Eng.  trans. — Gallinazo,  ULLOA,  Voy.  i,  p.  52,  Amsterdam  ed. 
—  Vultur  atratus,  BARTRAM,  p.  289. —  Vautour  du  Brteil,  PI. 
Enl.  187. —  Vultur  aura,B.  LATH.  Ind.  Orn.  p.\. — Le  Vautour 
urubu,  VIEILL.  Ois.  de  I9  Jim.  Sept.  i,  p.  23,  pi.  2. — PEALE'S 
Museum,  JVo.  13. 

THE  habits  of  both  this  and  the  preceding  Vulture  are  sin- 
gular. In  the  towns  and  villages  of  the  southern  states,  par- 
ticularly Charleston  and  Georgetown,  South  Carolina,  and  in 
Savannah,  Georgia,  these  birds  may  be  seen  either  sauntering 
about  the  streets;  sunning  themselves  on  the  roofs  of  the  houses, 
and  the  fences;  or,  if  the  weather  be  cold,  cowering  around 
the  tops  of  the  chimneys,  to  enjoy  the  benefit  of  the  heat,  which 
to  them  is  a  peculiar  gratification.  They  are  protected  by  a  law; 
and  may  be  said  to  be  completely  domesticated,  being  as  com- 
mon as  the  poultry,  and  equally  familiar.  The  inhabitants,  gen- 
erally, are  disgusted  with  their  filthy,  voracious  habits;  but  not- 
withstanding, being  viewed  as  contributive  to  the  removal  of 
dead  animal  matter,  which,  if  permitted  to  putrefy  during  the 
hot  season,  would  render  the  atmosphere  impure,  they  have  a 
respect  paid  them  as  scavengers,  whose  labours  are  subservient 
to  the  public  good.  It  sometimes  happens  that,  after  having  gorg- 
ed themselves,  they  vomit  down  the  chimneys,  which  must  be 
intolerably  disgusting,  and  must  provoke  the  ill  will  of  those 
whose  hospitality  is  thus  requited.  To  obviate  this  evil,  the 
chimney  tops  of  some  houses  are  furnished  with  rows  of  spikes; 
others  are  capped,  or  provided  with  some  apparatus,  to  hinder 
the  birds  from  alighting  upon  them. 


BLACK  VULTURE.  21 

The  Black  Vultures  are  indolent,  and  may  be  observed,  in 
companies,  loitering  for  hours  together  in  one  place.  They  are 
much  darker  in  their  plumage  than  the  Turkey-buzzard.  Their 
mode  of  flight  also  varies  from  that  of  -the  latter.  The  Black 
Vulture  flaps  its  wings  five  or  six  times  rapidly,  then  sails  with 
them  extended  nearly  horizontally;  the  Turkey-buzzard  seldom 
flaps  its  wings,  and  when  sailing,  they  form  an  upward  angle 
with  the  body.  The  latter  is  not  so  impatient  of  cold  as  the  for- 
mer, and  is  likewise  less  lazy.  The  Black  Vulture,  when  walk- 
ing at  leisure  upon  the  ground,  takes  great  strides — when  hur- 
ried, he  runs  and  jumps  awkwardly;  the  Turkey-buzzard, 
though  seemingly  inactive,  moves  with  an  even  gait.  The  for- 
mer, when  springing  from  the  ground,  will  sometimes  make  a 
noise  exactly  resembling  the  grunt  of  a  pig. 

I  had  been  informed,  previously  to  my  visit  to  Georgia,  by 
both  William  Bartram,  and  Mr.  John  Abbot,  that  the  two  spe- 
cies did  not  associate;  but  I  soon  discovered  that  this  informa- 
tion was  erroneous.  I  took  notice  that  both  of  these  birds  mixed 
together  upon  the  chimney  tops^  and  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  and 
sometimes  in  the  streets;  they  were  equally  unsuspicious  and 
tame.  It  would  appear,  however,  that  there  are  certain  districts 
which  are  affected  by  each  kind.  In  the  yard  of  the  hotel  where 
I  resided,  in  the  town  of  Savannah,  I  daily  observed  numbers 
of  Carrion-crows,  unaccompanied  by  a  single  Turkey-buzzard. 
The  latter,  unless  pressed  by  hunger,  will  not  eat  of  a  carcass 
until  it  becomes  putrid;  the  former  is  not  so  fastidious,  but  de- 
vours animal  food  without  distinction.  Perhaps  this  may  be  the 
reason  why  the  Carrion-crows  alone  frequent  the  yards,  where 
servants  are  in  the  habit  of  throwing  out  animal  offals.  In  the 
fields,  wherever  there  is  a  putrid  carcass,  there  will  be  seen 
swarms  of  Turkey-buzzards. 

It  is  said  that  the  Black  Vultures  sometimes  attack  young 
pigs,  and  eat  off  their  ears  and  tails;  and  we  have  even  heard 
stories  of  their  assaulting  feeble  calves,  and  picking  out  their 
eyes.  But  these  instances  are  rare;  if  otherwise,  they  would  not 
receive  that  countenance  or  protection,  which  is  so  universally 


22  BLACK  VULTURE. 

extended  to  them,  in  the  states  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia, 
where  they  abound. 

In  one  of  Wilson's  journals,  I  find  an  interesting  detail  of  the 
greedy  and  disgusting  habits  of  this  species;  and  shall  give  the 
passage  entire,  in  the  same  unadorned  manner  in  which  it  is 
written. 

"  February  21,  1809.  Went  out  to  Hampstead*  this  fore- 
noon. A  horse  had  dropped  down  in  the  street,  in  convulsions; 
and  dying,  it  was  dragged  out  to  Hampstead  and  skinned.  The 
ground,  for  a  hundred  yards  around  it,  was  black  with  Carrion- 
crows;  many  sat  on  the  tops  of  sheds,  fences,  and  houses  with- 
in sight;  sixty  or  eighty  on  the  opposite  side  of  a  small  stream. 
I  counted  at  one  time  two  hundred  and  thirty-seven,  but  I  be- 
lieve there  were  more,  besides  several  in  the  air  over  my  head, 
and  at  a  distance.  I  ventured,  cautiously,  within  thirty  yards 
of  the  carcass,  where  three  or  four  dogs,  and  twenty  or  thirty 
Vultures,  were  busily  tearing  and  devouring.  Seeing  them  take 
no  notice,  I  ventured  nearer,  till  I  was  within  ten  yards,  and 
sat  down  on  the  bank.  Still  they  paid  little  attention  to  me.  The 
dogs  being  sometimes  accidentally  flapped  with  the  wings  of  the 
Vultures,  would  growl  and  snap  at  them,  which  would  occasion 
them  to  spring  up  for  a  moment,  but  they  immediately  gather- 
ed in  again.  I  remarked  the  Vultures  frequently  attack  each 
other,  fighting  with  their  claws  or  heels,  striking  like  a  cock, 
with  open  wings,  and  fixing  their  claws  in  each  other's  head. 
The  females,  and  I  believe  the  males  likewise,  made  a  hissing 
sound,  with  open  mouth,  exactly  resembling  that  produced  by 
thrusting  a  red  hot  poker  into  water;  and  frequently  a  snuffling, 
like  a  dog  clearing  his  nostrils,  as  I  suppose  they  were  theirs. 
On  observing  that  they  did  not  heed  me,  I  stole  so  close  that 
my  feet  were  within  one  yard  of  the  horse's  legs,  and  again  sat 
down.  They  all  slid  aloof  a  few  feet;  but  seeing  me  quiet,  they 
soon  returned  as  before.  As  they  were  often  disturbed  by  the 
dogs,  I  ordered  the  latter  home:  my  voice  gave  no  alarm  to  the 

*  Near  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 


BLACK  VULTURE.  28 

Vultures.  As  soon  as  the  dogs  departed,  the  Vultures  crowded 
in  such  numbers,  that  I  counted  at  one  time  thirty-seven  on 
and  around  the  carcass,  with  several  within;  so  that  scarcely  an 
inch  of  it  was  visible.  Sometimes  one  would  come  out  with  a 
large  piece  of  the  entrails,  which  in  a  moment  was  surrounded  by 
several  others,  who  tore  it  in  fragments,  and  it  soon  disappeared. 
They  kept  up  the  hissing  occasionally.  Some  of  them  having 
their  whole  legs  and  heads  covered  with  blood,  presented  a 
most  savage  aspect.  Still  as  the  dogs  advanced  I  would  order 
them  away,  which  seemed  to  gratify  the  Vultures;  and  one 
would  pursue  another  to  within  a  foot  or  two  of  the  spot  where  I 
was  sitting.  Sometimes  I  observed  them  stretching  their  necks 
along  the  ground,  as  if  to  press  the  food  downwards." 

The  Carrion-crow  is  seldom  found,  on  the  Atlantic,  to  the 
northward  of  Newbern,  North  Carolina,  but  inhabits,  as  far  as 
we  can  ascertain,  the  whole  southern  continent.  Don  Ulloa,  in 
taking  notice  of  the  birds  of  Carthagena,  gives  an  account  of  a 
Vulture,  which  we  shall  quote,  in  order  to  establish  the  opinion, 
advanced  in  the  preceding  history,  that  it  is  the  present  spe- 
cies. We  shall  afterwards  subjoin  other  testimony  in  confirma- 
tion of  this  opinion.  With  respect  to  the  marvellous  tale  of  their 
attacking  the  cattle  in  the  pastures,  it  is  too  improbable  to  merit 
a  serious  refutation;  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  Vieillot  should 
have  perpetuated  this  slander,  which  is  so  absurd,  that  we  won- 
der how  it  could  have  escaped  his  animadversion. 

"  It  would  be  too  great  an  undertaking,"  says  Ulloa,  "to  de- 
scribe all  the  extraordinary  birds  that  inhabit  this  country;  but 
I  cannot  refrain  from  taking  notice  of  that  to  which  they  give 
the  name  of  Gallinazo,  from  the  resemblance  it  has  to  the  Tur- 
key-hen. This  bird  is  of  the  size  of  the  Pea-hen,  but  its  head 
and  neck  are  somewhat  larger.  From  the  crop  to  the  base  of 
the  bill  there  are  no  feathers;  and  the  skin,  which  is  of  a  brown- 
ish, black  colour,  is  wrinkled  and  rough,  and  covered  with 
small  warts  and  tubercles.  The  plumage  of  the  bird  is  also 
black.  The  bill  is  well  proportioned,  strong,  and  a  little  hook- 
ed. These  birds  are  familiar  in  Carthagena,  the  tops  of  the 


24  BLACK  VULTURE. 

houses  are  covered  with  them.  They  are  very  serviceable,  in 
cleansing  the  city  of  all  its  animal  impurities.  There  are  few 
animals  killed  whereof  they  do  not  obtain  the  offals;  and  when 
this  food  is  wanting,  they  have  recourse  to  other  filth.  Their 
sense  of  smelling  is  so  acute,  that  it  enables  them  to  trace  car- 
rion at  the  distance  of  three  or  four  leagues;  which  they  do  not 
abandon  until  there  remains  nothing  but  the  skeleton. 

"  The  great  number  of  these  birds  found  in  such  hot  climates, 
is  an  excellent  provision  of  nature;  as  otherwise,  the  putrefac- 
tion caused  by  the  constant  and  excessive  heat,  would  render 
the  air  insupportable  to  human  life.  When  first  they  take  wing, 
they  fly  heavily;  but  afterwards  they  rise  so  high  as  to  be  en- 
tirely invisible.  On  the  ground  they  walk  sluggishly.  Their 
legs  are  well  proportioned;  they  have  three  toes  forward,  turning 
inwards,  and  one  in  the  inside,  inclining  a  little  backwards,  so 
that  the  feet  interfering,  they  cannot  walk  with  any  agility, 
but  are  obliged  to  hop;  each  toe  is  furnished  with  a  long  and 
stout  claw. 

"When  the  Gallinazos  are  deprived  of  carrion,  or  food  in 
the  city,  they  are  driven  by  hunger  among  the  cattle  of  the 
pastures.  If  they  see  a  beast  with  a  sore  on  the  back,  they  alight 
on  it,  and  attack  the  part  affected ;  and  it  avails  not  that  the 
poor  animal  throws  itself  upon  the  ground,  and  endeavours  to 
intimidate  them  with  its  bellowing:  they  do  not  quit  their 
hold!*  and  by  means  of  their  bill  they  so  soon  enlarge  the 
wound,  that  the  animal  finally  becomes  their  prey."t 

The  account,  from  the  same  author,  of  the  beneficial  effects 
resulting  from  the  fondness  of  the  vultures  for  the  eggs  of  the 
alligator,  merits  attention. 

*  The  faculty  of  prehension,  which  is  possessed,  in  a  remarkable  degree, 
by  the  whole  of  the  Falco  tribe,  but  slightly  appertains  to  Vultures,  as  is  evi- 
denced by  their  feet  and  claws;  hence  all  the  stories  which  are  related,  of 
their  seizing  upon  their  prey,  and  bearing  it  off  in  their  talons,  are  apocry- 
phal. We  would  extend  this  remark  to  the  far-famed  Condor,  whose  history 
has  been  embellished  with  feats  of  strength,  not  a  little  allied  to  the  marvellous. 

t  Voyage  Historique  De  L'Amerique  Meridionale,  par  Don  George  Juan, 
et  Don  Antoine  De  Ulloa,  liv.  I,  chap,  viii,  p.  52.  A  Amsterdam  et  a  Leip- 
zig, 1752,  quarto. 


BLACK  VULTURE.  25 

"The  Gallinazos  are  the  most  inveterate  enemies  of  the  alli- 
gators, or  rather  they  are  extremely  fond  of  their  eggs;  and 
employ  much  stratagem  to  obtain  them.  During  the  summer, 
these  birds  make  it  their  business  to  watch  the  female  alligators; 
for  it  is  in  that  season  that  they  deposite  their  eggs  in  the  sand 
of  the  shores  of  the  rivers,  which  are  not  then  overflowed.  The 
Gallinazo  conceals  itself  among  the  branches  and  leaves  of  a  tree, 
so  as  to  be  unperceived  by  the  alligator,  and  permits  the  eggs 
quietly  to  be  laid,  not  even  interrupting  the  precautions  that  she 
takes  to  conceal  them.  But  she  is  no  sooner  under  the  water, 
than  the  Gallinazo  darts  upon  the  nest;  and  with  its  bill,  claws, 
and  wings,  uncovers  the  eggs,  and  gobbles  them  down,  leaving 
nothing  but  the  shells.  This  banquet  would  indeed  richly  re- 
ward its  patience,  did  not  a  multitude  of  Gallinazos  join  the 
fortunate  discoverer,  and  share  in  the  spoil. 

"  How  admirable  the  wisdom  of  that  Providence,  which  hath 
given  to  the  male  alligator  an  inclination  to  devour  its  own  off- 
spring; and  to  the  Gallinazo  a  taste  for  the  eggs  of  the  female. 
Indeed  neither  the  rivers,  nor  the  neighbouring  fields,  would 
otherwise  be  sufficient  to  contain  the  multitudes  that  are  hatched ; 
for  notwithstanding  the  ravages  of  both  these  insatiable  enemies, 
one  can  hardly  imagine  the  numbers  that  remain."* 

The  abbe  Clavigero,  in  his  History  of  Mexico,  has  clearly 
indicated  the  present  species,  as  distinguished  from  the  Turkey- 
buzzard. 

"The  business  of  clearing  the  fields  of  Mexico,  is  reserved 
principally  for  the  Zopilots,  known  in  South  America  by  the 
name  of  Gallinazzi;  in  other  places,  by  that  of  Jlure;  and  in 
some  places,  though  very  improperly,  by  that  of  ravens.  There 
are  two  very  different  species  of  these  birds;  the  one,  the  Zopilot, 
properly  so  called,  the  other  called  the  Cozcaquauhtli:  they  are 
both  bigger  than  the  raven.  These  two  species  resemble  each 
other  in  their  hooked  bill  and  crooked  claws,  and  by  having 
upon  their  head,  instead  of  feathers,  a  wrinkled  membrane, 

*  Liv.  iv,  chap,  ix,  p.  172. 
VOL.  I. — F  f 


26  BLACK  VULTURE. 

with  some  curling  hairs.  They  fly  so  high,  that  although  they 
are  pretty  large,  they  are  lost  to  the  sight;  and  especially  before 
a  hail  storm  they  will  be  seen  wheeling,  in  vast  numbers 
under  the  loftiest  clouds,  till  they  entirely  disappear.  They 
feed  upon  carrion,  which  they  discover  by  the  acuteness  of  their 
sight  and  smell,  from  the  greatest  height,  and  descend  upon  it 
with  a  majestic  flight,  in  a  great  spiral  course.  They  are  both 
almost  mute.  The  two  species  are  distinguished,  however,  by 
their  size,  their  colour,  their  numbers,  and  some  other  peculi- 
arities. The  Zopilots,  properly  so  called,  have  black  feathers^ 
with  a  brown  head,  bill,  and  feet;  they  go  often  in  flocks,  and 
roost  together  upon  trees.  This  species  is  very  numerous,  and 
is  to  be  found  in  all  the  different  climates;  while  on  the  contrary, 
the  Cozcaquauhtli  is  far  from  numerous,  and  is  peculiar  to  the 
warmer  climates  alone.*  The  latter  bird  is  larger  than  the  Zo- 
pilot,  has  a  red  head  and  feet,  with  a  beak  of  a  deep  red  colour, 
except  towards  its  extremity,  which  is  white.  Its  feathers  are 
brown,  except  upon  the  neck  and  parts  about  the  breast,  which 
are  of  a  reddish  black.  The  wings  are  of  an  ash  colour  upon  the 
inside,  and  upon  the  outside  are  variegated  with  black  and 
tawny. 

"The  Cozcaquauhtli  is  called  by  the  Mexicans,  King  of  the 
Zopilots -/t  and  they  say,  that  when  these  two  species  happen  to 
meet  together  about  the  same  carrion,  the  Zopilot  never  begins 
to  eat  till  the  Cozcaquauhtli  has  tasted  it.  The  Zopilot  is  a  most 
useful  bird  to  that  country,  for  they  not  only  clear  the  fields, 
but  attend  the  crocodiles,  and  destroy  the  eggs  which  the  females 
of  those  dreadful  amphibious  animals  leave  in  the  sand,  to  be 
hatched  by  the  heat  of  the  sun.  The  destruction  of  such  a  bird 
ought  to  be  prohibited  under  severe  penalties.'^ 

"The  Jota  ( Vulturjota}"  says  the  abbe  Molina,  "  resembles 
much  the  J^ura,  a  species  of  vulture,  of  which  there  is  perhaps 

*  This  is  a  mistake. 

f  This  is  the  Vultur  aura.  The  bird  which  now  goes  by  the  name  of  King  of 
the  Zoi>ilols,  in  New  Spain,  is  the  Vullur  papa  of  Linnaeus. 
\  Clavig-ero's  Mexico,  translated  by  Cullen,  vol.  i,  p.  47,  London. 


BLACK  VULTURE.  27 

but  one  variety.  It  is  distinguished,  however,  by  the  beak, 
which  is  gray  with  a  black  point.  Notwithstanding  the  size  of 
this  bird,  which  is  nearly  that  of  the  turkey,  and  its  strong  and 
crooked  talons,  it  attacks  no  other,  but  feeds  principally  upon 
carcasses  and  reptiles.  It  is  extremely  indolent,  and  will  fre- 
quently remain  for  a  long  time  almost  motionless,  with  its  wings 
extended,  sunning  itself  upon  the  rocks,  or  the  roofs  of  the 
houses.  When  in  pain,  which  is  the  only  time  that  it  is  known 
to  make  any  noise,  it  utters  a  sharp  cry  like  that  of  a  rat;  and 
usually  disgorges  what  it  has  eaten.  The  flesh  of  this  bird  emits 
a  fetid  smell  that  is  highly  offensive.  The  manner  in  which  it 
builds  its  nest  is  perfectly  correspondent  to  its  natural  indolence : 
it  carelessly  places  between  rocks,  or  even  upon  the  ground,  a 
few  dry  leaves  or  feathers,  upon  which  it  lays  two  eggs  of  a 
dirty  white."* 

The  Black  Vulture  is  twenty-six  inches  in  length,  and  four 
feet  eleven  inches  in  extent;  the  bill  is  two  inches  and  a  half 
long,  of  a  pale  horn  colour  as  far  as  near  an  inch,  the  remainder, 
with  the  head,  and  wrinkled  skin  of  the  neck,  a  dirty  scurfy 
black;  tongue  similar  to  that  of  the  Turkey-buzzard;  nostril  an 
oblong  slit;  irides  dark  reddish  hazel;  earssublunate;  the  throat 
is  dashed  with  yellow  ochre  in  some  specimens;  neck  feathers 
below  the  caruncled  skin  much  inflated,  and  very  thick;  the 
general  colour  of  the  plumage  is  a  dull  black,  except  the  pri- 
maries, which  are  whitish  on  the  inside,  and  have  four  of  their 
broadened  edges  below  of  a  drab,  or  dark  cream  colour,  ex- 
tending two  inches,  which  is  seen  only  when  the  wing  is  un- 
folded, the  shafts  of  the  feathers  white  on  both  sides;  the  rest  of 
the  wing  feathers  dark  on  both  sides;  secondaries,  scapulars  and 
tail,  with  a  slight  coppery  gloss;  the  wings  when  folded  are 
about  the  length  of  the  tail,  the  fifth  feather  being  the  longest; 
the  secondaries  are  two  inches  shorter  than  the  tail,  which  is 
composed  of  twelve  feathers,  and  slightly  forked,  or  nearly 
square;  the  exterior  feathers  three  quarters  of  an  inch  longer 

*Hist.  Chili,  Am.  trans,  i,  p.  185. 


28  BLACK  VULTURE. 

than  the  rest;  the  legs  are  of  a  dirty  limy  white,  three  inches 
and  a  half  in  length,  and,  with  the  feet,  are  thick  and  strong;  the 
middle  toe,  including  the  claw,  is  four  inches  long,  side  toes 
two  inches,  and  connected  to  the  middle  as  far  as  the  first  joint; 
inner  toe  rather  the  shortest;  hind  toe  pointing  inward;  claws 
strong,  but  not  sharp  like  those  of  the  Falco  genus,  middle  claw 
three  quarters  of  an  inch  long;  the  stomach  is  not  lined  with 
hair  as  reported.  When  opened,  this  bird  smells  strongly  of 
musk,  so  much  so  as  to  be  quite  offensive.  Sexes  nearly  alike. 

Mr.  Abbot  informs  me  that  the  Carrion-crow  builds  its  nest 
in  the  large  trees  of  the  low  wet  swamps,  to  which  places  they 
retire  every  evening  to  roost.  "They  frequent,"  says  he, 
"  that  part  of  the  town  of  Savannah  where  the  hog-butchers 
reside,  and  walk  about  the  streets,  in  great  numbers,  like  do- 
mestic fowls.  It  is  diverting  to  see,  when  the  entrails  and  offals 
of  the  hogs  are  thrown  to  them,  with  what  greediness  they 
scramble  for  the  food,  seizing  upon  it,  and  pulling  one  against 
another  until  the  strongest  prevails.  The  Turkey-buzzard  is 
accused  of  killing  young  lambs  and  pigs,  by  picking  out  their 
eyes,  but  I  believe  that  the  Carrion-crow  is  not  guilty  of  the 
like  practices."  When  taken  alive,  this  bird  bites  excessively 
hard,  and  its  bill,  which  is  very  sharp  on  its  edges,  is  capable 
of  inflicting  severe  wounds,  as  I  myself  experienced. 

It  is  really 'astonishing  that  the  European  naturalists  should 
so  long  have  overlooked  the  difference  which  there  is  between 
this  species  and  the  Turkey-buzzard,  in  their  external  conform- 
ation. Their  heads  are  differently  shaped;  their  bills  and  nos- 
trils are  considerably  unlike;  and  the  arrangement  of  the  neck 
plumage  is  entirely  dissimilar,  as  our  figures  will  show.  The 
Turkey-buzzard's  neck,  along  the  oesophagus,  as  far  as  the  breast 
bone,  is  bare  of  feathers,  though  this  nakedness  is  concealed  by 
the  adjacent  plumage;  the  same  part  in  the  Carrion-crow  is 
completely  clothed.  The  down  of  both  species  has  the  same 
cottony  appearance. 


BLACK  VULTURE.  39 

The  drab  colour  on  the  primaries  is  not  visible  when  the 
wing  is  closed,  consequently  the  marking  on  the  wing  of  our 
figure  is  incorrect. 

In  the  month  of  December,  1815,  a  solitary  individual  of  this 
species  made  its  appearance  in  Philadelphia.  This  visiter,  as 
may  be  presumed,  occasioned  not  a  little  surprise.  It  was  shot 
with  an  air  rifle,  while  perched  upon  the  chimney  of  a  large 
house  in  Chesnut  street.  This  bird  was  put  into  my  hands  for 
examination;  and  from  the  appearance  of  its  plumage,  I  had 
reason  to  conjecture  that  it  had  escaped  from  confinement. 

From  Vieillot's  figure  and  description  of  the  Black  Vulture, 
we  must  conclude  that  he  had  never  seen  it,  either  alive,  or  in 
a  recent  state,  otherwise  he  would  not  have  committed  the 
egregious  error,  of  representing  the  naked  skin  of  the  bill,  head 
and  neck,  of  a  blood  red,  when  these  parts  are  of  a  scurfy,  black 
colour,  resembling  the  skin  of  a  dirty  negro.* 

*  From  Mr.  Ord's  supplementary  volume. 


GEMIS2.  FALCO.    FALCONS. 

SPECIES  I.     F.  PEREGRINUS. 

GREAT-FOOTED  HAWK. 

[Plate  LXX VI. —Female.] 

Falco  peregrinus,  GMEL.  Syst.  i,  p.  272,  88. — BRISS.  i,  p.  341,  6, 
and  Var,  A. — Ind.  Orn.  p.  33,  No.  72. — Falco  Barbaras,  LINN. 
Syst.  ed.  10,  torn,  i,  p.  88,  No.  6.-— GMEL.  Syst.  i,p.  272,  8.— Ind. 
Orn.  p.  S3,  No.  71. — Falco  hornotinus,  Biuss.  i,  p.  324,  A.  Falco 
niger,  Id.  p.  327,  E.  Falco  maculatus,  Id.  p.  329,  F. — Pere- 
grine Falcon,  LATH.  Syn.  i,  p.  73,  No.  52.  7rf.  sup/,  p.  1 8. — 
PENN.  Brit.  Zool.  No.  48,  pi.  20.  ^rcf.  Zoof.  JVo.  97.-— SHAW, 
Gen.  Zool.  vol.  vu,  p.  128. — MONTAGU,  Orn.  Diet,  and  Sup  1. — 
Low,  Fauna  Orcadensis,  p.  150. —  Common  Falcon,  L\ra.Syn* 
i,  p.  65,  No.  49,  var.  A.  p.  67,  var.  E.  p.  68.  var.  F.— Spotted 
Hawk  or  Falcon,  EDWARDS,  i,  pi.  3.  Black  Hawk  or  Falcon, 
Id.  pi.  4,  both  from  Hudson's  Bay. — Le  I  anier,  PL  enl.  430, 
old  male.  Le  Faucon  noir  et  passager,  Id.  469,  young  female? 
Le  Faucon  SOTS,  Id.  p.  470,  yearling. — Faucon  pelerin,  TEMM. 
Man.  d'Orn.p.  22. — PEAI.E'S  Museum,  No.  386,  female. 

IT  is  with  great  pleasure  that  we  are  now  enabled  to  give  a 
portrait  of  this  celebrated  Falcon,  drawn  of  half  the  size  of  life, 
in  the  best  manner  of  our  deceased  friend;  and  engraved  by  the 
accurate  and  ingenious  Lawson. 

This  noble  bird  had  excited  our  curiosity  for  a  long  time. 
Every  visit  which  we  made  to  the  coast,  was  rendered  doubly 
interesting  by  the  wonderful  stories  which  we  heard  of  its  ex- 
ploits in  fowling,  and  of  its  daring  enterprise.  There  was  not 
a  shooter  along  the  shore  but  knew  it  well;  and  each  could  re- 
late something  of  it  which  bordered  on  the  marvellous.  It  was 
described  as  darting,  with  the  rapidity  of  an  arrow,  upon  the 
ducks  when  on  the  wing,  and  striking  them  down  with  the 
projecting  bone  of  its  breast.  Even  the  wild  geese  were  said 


GREAT-FOOTED  HAWK.  31 

to  be  in  danger  from  its  attacks,  it  having  been  known  to  sa- 
crifice them  to  its  rapacity. 

To  behold  this  hero,  the  terror  of  the  wild  fowl,  and  the 
wonder  of  the  sportsmen,  was  the  chief  object  of  our  wishes. 
Day  after  day  did  we  traverse  the  salt  marshes,  and  explore 
the  ponds  and  estuaries,  where  the  web-footed  tribes  assemble 
in  immense  multitudes,  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  the  imperial 
depredator;  even  all  the  shooters  of  the  district  were  summon- 
ed to  our  aid,  with  the  assurance  of  a  great  reward  if  they  pro- 
cured him,  but  without  success.  At  length,  in  the  month  of 
December,  1812,  to  the  unspeakable  joy  of  Wilson,  he  receiv- 
ed from  Egg-harbour  a  fine  specimen  of  the  far-famed  Duck 
Hawk;  which  was  discovered,  contrary  to  his  expectations,  to 
be  of  a  species  which  he  had  never  before  beheld. 

If  we  were  to  repeat  all  the  anecdotes  which  have  been  re- 
lated to  us  of  the  achievements  of  the  Duck  Hawk,  they  would 
swell  our  pages  at  the  expense,  probably,  of  our  reputation. 
Naturalists  should  be  always  on  their  guard  when  they  find 
themselves  compelled  to  resort  to  the  observations  of  others; 
and  record  nothing  as  fact,  which  has  not  been  submitted  to 
the  temperate  deliberations  of  reason.  The  neglect  of  this  pro- 
cedure has  been  a  principal  cause,  why  errors  and  absurdities 
have  so  frequently  deformed  the  pages  of  works  of  science, 
which,  like  a  plane  mirror,  ought  to  reflect  only  the  true 
images  of  nature. 

From  the  best  sources  of  information,  we  learn  that  this  spe- 
cies is  adventurous  and  powerful;  that  it  darts  upon  its  prey 
with  astonishing  velocity;  and  that  it  strikes  with  its  formida- 
ble feet,  permitting  the  duck  to  fall  previously  to  securing  it. 
The  circumstance  of  the  hawk's  never  carrying  the  duck  off  on 
striking  it,  has  given  rise  to  the  belief  of  that  service  being 
performed  by  means  of  the  breast,  which  vulgar  opinion  has 
armed  with  a  projecting  bone,  adapted  to  the  purpose.  But 
this  cannot  be  the  fact,  as  the  breast  bone  of  this  bird  does  not 
differ  from  that  of  others  of  the  same  tribe,  which  would  not 
admit  of  so  violent  a  concussion. 


32  GREAT-FOOTED  HAWK. 

When  the  water  fowl  perceive  the  approach  of  their  enemy, 
a  universal  alarm  pervades  their  ranks;  even  man  himself,  with 
his  engine  of  destruction,  is  not  more  terrible.  But  the  effect 
is  different.  When  the  latter  is  beheld,  the  whole  atmosphere 
is  enlivened  with  the  whistling  of  wings;  when  the  former  is 
recognised,  not  a  duck  is  to  be  seen  in  the  air:  they  all  speed 
to  the  water,  and  there  remain  until  the  hawk  has  passed  them, 
diving  the  moment  he  comes  near  them.  It  is  worthy  of  re- 
mark, that  he  will  seldom,  if  ever,  strike  over  the  water,  un- 
less it  be  frozen;  well  knowing  that  it  will  be  difficult  to  secure 
his  quarry.  This  is  something  more  than  instinct. 

When  the  sportsmen  perceive  the  hawk  knock  down  a  duck, 
they  frequently  disappoint  him  of  it,  by  being  first  to  secure  it. 
And  as  one  evil  turn,  according  to  the  maxim  of  the  multitude, 
deserves  another,  our  hero  takes  ample  revenge  on  them,  at 
every  opportunity,  by  robbing  them  of  their  game,  the  hard- 
earned  fruits  of  their  labour. 

The  Duck  Hawk,  it  is  said,  often  follows  the  steps  of  the 
shooter,  knowing  that  the  ducks  will  be  aroused  on  the  wing, 
which  will  afford  it  an  almost  certain  chance  of  success. 

We  have  been  informed  that  those  ducks  which  are  struck 
down,  have  their  backs  lacerated  from  the  rump  to  the  neck. 
If  this  be  the  fact,  it  is  a  proof  that  the  hawk  employs  only  its 
talons,  which  are  long  and  stout,  in  the  operation.  One  re- 
spectable inhabitant  of  Cape  May  told  us,  that  he  had  seen  the 
hawk  strike  from  below. 

This  species  has  been  long  known  in  Europe;  and,  in  the 
age  of  Falconry,  was  greatly  valued  for  those  qualifications, 
which  rendered  it  estimable  to  the  lovers  and  followers  of  that 
princely  amusement.  But  we  have  strong  objections  to  its  spe- 
cific appellation.  The  epithet  peregrine  is  certainly  not  appli- 
cable to  our  hawk,  which  is  not  migratory,  as  far  as  our  most 
diligent  inquiries  can  ascertain;  and  as  additional  evidence  of 
the  fact,  we  ourselves  have  seen  it  prowling  near  the  coast  of 
New  Jersey,  in  the  month  of  May,  and  heard  its  screams, 
which  resemble  somewhat  those  of  the  Bald  Eagle,  in  the 


* 

GREAT-FOOTED  HAWK.  33 

swamps  wherein  it  is  said  to  breed.  We  have  therefore  taken 
the  liberty  of  changing  its  English  name  for  one  which  will  at 
once  express  a  characteristic  designation,  or  which  will  indi- 
cate the  species  without  the  labour  of  investigation.  * 

"  This  species,"  says  Pennant,  "  breeds  on  the  rocks  of  Llan- 
didno,  in  Caernarvonshire,  Wales.  That  promontory  has  been 
long  famed  for  producing  a  generous  kind,  as  appears  by  a  let- 
ter extant  in  Gloddaeth  library,  from  the  lord  treasurer  Bur- 
leigh  to  an  ancestor  of  Sir  Roger  Mostyn,  in  which  his  lord- 
ship thanks  him  for  a  present  of  a  fine  cast  of  hawks  taken  on 
those  rocks,  which  belong  to  the  family.  They  are  also  very 
common  in  the  north  of  Scotland;  and  are  sometimes  trained 
for  falconry  by  some  few  gentlemen  who  still  take  delight  in 
this  amusement  in  that  part  of  Great  Britain.  Their  flight  is 
amazing  rapid;  one  that  was  reclaimed  by  a  gentleman  in  the 
Shire  of  Angus,  a  county  on  the  east  side  of  Scotland,  eloped 
from  its  master  with  two  heavy  bells  attached  to  each  foot,  on 
the  twenty-fourth  of  September,  1772,  and  was  killed  in  the 
morning  of  the  twenty-sixth,  near  Mostyn,  Flintshire."! 

The  same  naturalist,  in  another  place,  observes,  that  "  the. 
American  species  is  larger  than  the  European.  ±  They  are 
subject  to  vary.  The  Black  Falcon,  and  the  Spotted  Falcon, 
of  Edwards,  are  of  this  kind;  each  preserves  a  specific  mark, 
in  the  black  stroke  which  drops  from  beneath  the  eyes,  down 
towards  the  neck. 

"  Inhabits  different  parts  of  North  America,  from  Hudson's 
Bay  as  low  as  Carolina.  In  Asia,  is  found  on  the  highest  parts 
of  the  Uralian  and  Siberian  chain.  Wanders  in  summer  to  the 
very  Arctic  circle.  Is  common  in  Kamtschatka.  "§ 

*  "  Specific  names,  to  be  perfect,  ought  to  express  some  peculiarity,  com- 
mon to  no  other  of  the  genus."  Am.  Orn.  i,  p.  65. 

f  British  Zoology. 

J  If  we  were  to  adopt  the  mode  of  philosophising  of  the  Count  deBuffbn, 
we  should  infer  that  the  European  species  is  a  variety  of  our  more  generous 
nice,  degenerated  by  the  influence  of  food  and  climate!  §  Arctic  Zoology. 

VOL.  I. — Gg 


34  GREAT-FOOTED  HAWK, 

Low  says,  that  this  species  is  found  in  all  the  head-lands,  and 
other  inaccessible  rocks,  of  Orkney.  "  It  is  the  falcon,  or  more 
noble  species  of  hawk,  which  was  formerly  so  much  coveted, 
and  brought  from  Orkney.  In  the  Burgh  of  Birsa  I  observed 
the  dark-coloured  kind,  so  beautifully  engraved  in  the  addi- 
tional volume  of  the  British  Zoology.  It  is  likewise  found  in 
Marwick-head,  Hoy,  Walls,  Copinsha,  and  elsewhere  in  Ork- 
ney; likewise  in  the  Fair  Isle  and  Foula;  as  also  in  Lamhoga 
of  Fetlor,  Fitful,  and  Sumburgh-Heads  of  Shetland. 

"  Never  more  than  one  pair  of  this  species  inhabit  the  same 
rock;  and  when  the  young  are  fit,  they  are  driven  out  to  seek 
new  habitations  for  themselves.  The  Falcon's  nest,  like  the 
Eagle's,  is  always  in  the  very  same  spot,  and  continues  so  past 
memory  of  man."* 

In  the  breeding  season,  the  Duck  Hawk  retires  to  the  re- 
cesses of  the  gloomy  cedar  swamps,  on  the  tall  trees  of  which 
it  constructs  its  nest,  and  rears  its  young,  secure  from  all  mo- 
lestation. In  those  wilds,  which  present  obstacles  almost  in- 
superable to  the  foot  of  man,  the  screams  of  this  bird,  occasion- 
ally mingled  with  the  hoarse  tones  of  the  Heron,  and  the  hoot- 
ings  of  the  Great-horned  Owl,  echoing  through  the  dreary  soli- 
tude, arouse  in  the  imagination  all  the  frightful  imagery  of  de- 
solation. Wilson,  and  the  writer  of  this  article,  explored  two 
of  these  swamps,  in  the  month  of  May,  1813,  in  pursuit  of  the 
Great  Heron,  and  the  subject  of  this  chapter;  and  although 
they  were  successful  in  obtaining  the  former,  yet  the  latter 
eluded  their  research. 

The  Great-footed  Hawk  is  twenty  inches  in  length,  and  three 
feet  eight  inches  in  breadth;  the  bill  is  inflated,  short  and  strong, 
of  a  light  blue  colour,  ending  in  black,  the  upper  mandible 
with  a  tooth-like  process,  the  lower  with  a  corresponding  notch, 
and  truncate;  nostrils  round,  with  a  central  point  like  the  pistil 
of  a  flower;  the  eyes  are  large,  irides  of  a  dark  brown;  cere 

*  Low's  Natural  History  of  the  Quadrupeds,  Birds,  Reptiles,  and  Fishes, 
of  Orkney  and  Shetland;  published  by  William  Elford  Leach,  M.  D.,  4to. 
1813. 


GREAT-FOOTED  HAWK.  35 

and  orbits  pale  bluish  white;  the  cartilage  over  the  eyes  promi- 
nent; frontlet  whitish;  the  head  above,  cheeks  and  back,  are 
black;  the  wings  and  scapulars  are  brownish  black,  each  feather 
edged  with  paler,  the  former  long  and  pointed,  reaching  al- 
most to  the  end  of  the  tail;  the  primaries  and  secondaries  are 
marked  transversely,  on  the  inner  vanes,  with  large  oblong 
spots  of  ferruginous  white;  the  exterior  edge  of  the  tip  of  the 
secondaries  curiously  scalloped,  as  if  a  piece  had  been  cut  out; 
the  tertials  incline  to  ash  colour;  the  lining  of  the  wings  is 
beautifully  barred  with  black  and  white,  and  tinged  with  fer- 
ruginous; on  a  close  examination,  the  scapulars  and  tertials  are 
found  to  be  barred  with  faint  ash;  all  the  shafts  are  black;  the 
rump  and  tail-coverts  are  light  ash,  marked  with  large  dusky 
bars;  the  tail  is  rounding,  black,  tipped  with  reddish  white, 
and  crossed  with  eight  narrow  bars  of  very  faint  ash ;  the  chin 
and  breast,  encircling  the  black  mustaches,  are  of  a  pale  buff 
colour;  breast  below,  and  lower  parts,  reddish  buff,  or  pale  cin- 
namon, handsomely  marked  with  roundish  or  heart-shaped 
spots  of  black;  sides  broadly  barred  with  black;  the  femorals 
are  elegantly  ornamented  with  herring-bones  of  black,  on  a  buff 
ground;  the  vent  is  pale  buff,  marked  as  the  femorals,  though 
with  less  numerous  spots;  the  feet  and  legs  are  of  a  dirty  white, 
stained  with  yellow  ochre,  the  legs  short  and  stout,  feathered 
a  little  below  the  knees,  the  bare  part  one  inch  in  length;  span 
of  the  foot  five  inches,  with  a  large  protuberant  sole;  middle 
toe  as  long  as  the  tarsus;  the  claws  are  large  and  black,  middle 
one  three-quarters  of  an  inch  long,  hind  claw  seven-eights  of 
an  inch. 

The  most  striking  characters  of  this  species  are  the  broad 
patch  of  black  dropping  below  the  eye,  and  the  uncommonly 
large  feet.  It  is  stout,  heavy,  and  firmly  put  together. 

The  bird  from  which  the  above  description  was  taken,  was 
shot  in  a  cedar  swamp,  in  Cape  May  county,  New  Jersey.  It 
was  a  female,  and  contained  the  remains  of  small  birds,  among 
which  were  discovered  the  legs  of  the  Sanderling.  The  figure 


36  GREAT-FOOTED  HAWK. 

in  the  plate  is  an  excellent  resemblance  of  the  original,  which 
is  handsomely  set  up  in  the  Philadelphia  Museum. 

I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Titian  Peale,  for  the  view  of  an  imma- 
ture specimen  of  the  Duck  Hawk,  which  he  shot  near  the  Rocky 
Mountains;  it  was  quite  young,  having  just  left  the  nest.  Its 
colours  were  principally  a  dirty  white,  and  a  reddish  brown; 
the  patch  below  the  eye  not  very  conspicuous;  but  the  charac- 
ters of  the  bill  and  feet  proved  the  species. 

According  to  Temminck,  the  Peregrine  Falcon  never  inha- 
bits marshy  countries;  but  this,  I  presume,  is  a  mistake,  as  our 
bird  is  remarkable  for  its  attachment  to  those  places  which  are 
affected  by  the  water  fowl;  and  it  is  well  known  that  the  latter 
abound  in  all  the  marshes  of  the  coast. 

In  the  month  of  November,  1823,  I  procured  a  fine  living 
specimen  of  the  Duck  Hawk,  which  I  preserved,  with  the  view 
of  noting  its  change  of  plumage.  It  was  a  female,  and  was  al- 
lowed the  free  range  of  a  stable  and  garden.  Notwithstanding 
my  care,  it  lived  but  nine  months.  On  dissection,  I  found  her 
eggs  very  small,  although  she  had  every  appearance  of  being 
an  adult.  Around  the  base  of  the  heart,  and  near  the  ovaries, 
I  discovered  two  or  three  round  worms,  of  about  nine  inches 
in  length. 

During  the  time  that  she  was  in  my  possession  she  did  not 
moult;  and  the  change  in  the  colour  of  the  plumage  was  but 
slight.  In  winter,  the  upper  parts  were  dark  brown,  but  in  the 
summer  there  was  an  appearance  of  ash  colour  on  the  back  and 
wing-coverts.  The  fact,  that  the  plumage  of  birds  undergoes  a 
change  of  colour,  independent  of  moulting,  appears  to  be  now 
well  ascertained;  and  it  is  with  pleasure  that  I  can  add  my 
testimony,  on  this  subject,  to  the  sensible  "  Remarks  on  the 
Changes  of  the  Plumage  of  Birds,"  which  were  published  in 
the  twelfth  volume  of  the  Transactions  of  the  Linnean  Society 
of  London.  The  paper  in  question  was  written  by  the  Rev. 
William  Whitear. 

My  Duck  Hawk  never  became  sufficiently  domesticated  to 
permit  me  to  handle  her;  and  if  an  attempt  were  made  to  touch 


- 


GREAT-FOOTED  HAWK.  37 

her,  she  would  either  hop  away  in  anger,  or,  if  prevented  from 
retreating,  she  would  spring  upon  me,  and  strike,  furiously, 
with  one  of  her  powerful  feet,  which  were  capable  of  inflicting 
severe  wounds.  Unless  when  very  hungry,  she  would  not 
touch  cooked  food;  she  preferred  fresh-killed  meat,  especially 
tender  beef  and  mutton,  generally  rejecting  the  fat.  She  was 
fond  of  small  birds,  but  a  live  duck  was  her  supreme  delight: 
the  sight  of  one  would  make  her  almost  frantic;  at  such  times, 
the  vigour  and  activity  of  her  movements,  and  the  animation  . 
of  her  eye,  were  truly  admirable.  Her  antipathy  to  cats  was 
great,  and  when  one  of  these  animals  approached  her,  she  mani- 
fested her  displeasure  by  raising  her  plumes,  opening  her 
mouth,  and  uttering  some  sounds,  which  were  doubtless  intend- 
ed as  a  premonition  of  danger.  If,  regardless  of  all  these,  the 
cat  got  within  striking  distance,  one  blow  from  the  Hawk  was 
generally  sufficient,  to  compel  the  intruder  to  a  hasty  retreat.  * 

•    *  From  Mr.  Orel's  supplementary  volume. 


SPECIES 2.  FrfLCO  SPJIRVERIUS. 

AMERICAN  SPARROW  HAWK. 

[Plate  XVI.— Fig.  1.—  Female.] 

Emerillon  de  St.  Domingue,  BUFF,  i,  291.  PL  enl.  465.— Jirct. 
Zool.  212. — Little  Falcon,  LATH.  Syn.  t>.  i,  p.  110,  JVo.  94. 
16.  95.— PKALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  389. 

IN  no  department  of  ornithology  has  there  been  greater  con- 
fusion, or  more  mistakes  made,  than  among  this  class  of  birds 
of  prey.  The  great  difference  of  size  between  the  male  and  fe- 
male, the  progressive  variation  of  plumage  to  which,  for  seve- 
ral years,  they  are  subject,  and  the  difficulty  of  procuring  a  suf- 
ficient number  of  specimens  for  examination;  all  these  causes 
conspire  to  lead  the  naturalist  into  almost  unavoidable  mistakes. 
For  these  reasons,  and  in  order,  if  possible,  to  ascertain  each 
species  of  this  genus  distinctly,  I  have  determined,  where  any 
doubt  or  ambiguity  prevails,  to  represent  both  male  and  female, 
as  fair  and  perfect  specimens  of  each  may  come  into  my  pos- 
session. According  to  fashionable  etiquette  the  honour  of  pre- 
cedence, in  the  present  instance,  is  given  to  the  female  of  this 
species;  both  because  she  is  the  most  courageous,  the  largest 
and  handsomest  of  the  two,  best  ascertained,  and  less  subject 
to  change  of  colour  than  the  male,  who  will  require  some  fur- 
ther examination  and  more  observation,  before  we  can  venture 
to  introduce  him. 

This  bird  is  a  constant  resident  in  almost  every  part  of  the 
United  States,  particularly  in  the  states  north  of  Maryland.  In 
the  southern  states  there  is  a  smaller  species  found,  which  is 
destitute  of  the  black  spots  on  the  head;  the  legs  are  long  and 
very  slender,  and  the  wings  light  blue.  This  has  been  sup- 
posed, by  some,  to  be  the  male  of  the  present  species;  but  this 
is  an  error.  The  eye  of  the  present  species  is  dusky;  that  of 
the  smaller  species  a  brilliant  orange;  the  former  has  the  tail 


AMERICAN  SPARROW  HAWK.  39 

rounded  at  the  end,  the  latter  slightly  forked.  Such  essential 
differences  never  take  place  between  two  individuals  of  the 
same  species.  It  ought,  however,  to  be  remarked,  that  in  all 
the  figures  and  descriptions  I  have  hitherto  met  with  of  the 
bird  now  before  us,  the  iris  is  represented  of  a  bright  golden 
colour;  but  in  all  the  specimens  I  have  shot  I  uniformly  found 
the  eye  very  dark,  almost  black,  resembling  a  globe  of  black 
glass.  No  doubt  the  golden  colour  of  the  iris  would  give  the 
figure  of  the  bird  a  more  striking  appearance;  but  in  works  of 
natural  history  to  sacrifice  truth  to  mere  picturesque  effect  is 
detestable;  though,  I  fear,  but  too  often  put  in  practice. 

The  nest  of  this  species  is  usually  built  in  a  hollow  tree;  ge- 
nerally pretty  high  up,  where  the  top  or  a  large  limb  has  been 
broken  off.  I  have  never  seen  its  eggs;  but  have  been  told  that 
the  female  generally  lays  four  or  five,  which  are  of  a  light 
brownish  yellow  colour,  spotted  with  a  darker  tint;  the  young 
are  fed  on  grasshoppers,  mice,  and  small  birds,  the  usual  food 
of  the  parents. 

The  habits  and  manners  of  this  bird  are  well  known.  It  flies 
rather  irregularly,  occasionally  suspending  itself  in  the  air,  ho- 
vering over  a  particular  spot  for  a  minute  or  two,  and  then 
shooting  off  in  another  direction.  It  perches  on  the  top  of  a 
dead  tree,  or  pole  in  the  middle  of  a  field  or  meadow,  and  as  it 
alights  shuts  its  long  wings  so  suddenly  that  they  seem  instant- 
ly to  disappear;  it  sits  here  in  an  almost  perpendicular  position, 
sometimes  for  an  hour  at  a  time,  frequently  jerking  its  tail,  and 
reconnoitering  the  ground  below,  in  every  direction,  for  mice, 
lizards,  &c.  It  approaches  the  farm-house,  particularly  in  the 
morning,  skulking  about  the  barn-yard  for  mice  or  young 
chickens.  It  frequently  plunges  into  a  thicket  after  small  birds, 
as  if  by  random;  but  always  with  a  particular,  and  generally  a  fa- 
tal, aim.  One  day  I  observed  a  bird  of  this  species  perched  on 
the  highest  top  of  a  large  poplar,  on  the  skirts  of  the  wood;  and 
was  in  the  act  of  raising  the  gun  to  my  eye  when  he  swept 
down  with  the  rapidity  of  an  arrow  into  a  thicket  of  briars 
about  thirty  yards  off;  where  I  shot  him  dead;  and  on  coming 


40  AMERICAN  SPARROW  HAWK. 

up  found  the  small  field  sparrow  (fig.  2,)  quivering  in  his  grasp. 
Both  our  aims  had  been  taken  in  the  same  instant,  and,  unfor- 
tunately for  him,  both  were  fatal.  It  is  particularly  fond  of 
watching  along  hedge  rows,  and  in  orchards,  where  those  small 
birds,  represented  in  the  same  plate,  usually  resort.  When 
grasshoppers  are  plenty  they  form  a  considerable  part  of  its 
food. 

Though  small  snakes,  mice,  lizards,  &c.  be  favourite  morsels 
with  this  active  bird;  yet  we  are  not  to  suppose  it  altogether 
destitute  of  delicacy  in  feeding.  It  will  seldom  or  never  eat  of 
any  thing  that  it  has  not  itself  killed,  and  even  that,  if  not  (as 
epicures  would  term  it)  in  good  eating  order,  is  sometimes  re- 
jected. A  very  respectable  friend,  through  the  medium  of  Mr. 
Bartram,  informs  me,  that  one  morning  he  observed  one  of 
these  Hawks  dart  down  on  the  ground,  and  seize  a  mouse, 
which  he  carried  to  a  fence  post;  where,  after  examining  it  for 
some  time,  he  left  it;  and,  a  little  while  after,  pounced  upon 
another  mouse,  which  he  instantly  carried  off  to  his  nest,  in  the 
hollow  of  a  tree  hard  by.  The  gentleman,  anxious  to  know 
why  the  hawk  had  rejected  the  first  mouse,  went  up  to  it,  and 
found  it  to  be  almost  covered  with  lice,  and  greatly  emaciated ! 
Here  was  not  only  delicacy  of  taste,  but  sound  and  prudent 
reasoning. — "  If  I  carry  this  to  my  nest,"  thought  he,  "  it  will 
fill  it  with  vermin;  and  hardly  be  worth  eating." 

The  Blue  Jays  have  a  particular  antipathy  to  this  bird,  and 
frequently  insult  it  by  following  and  imitating  its  notes  so  ex- 
actly as  to  deceive  even  those  well  acquainted  with  both.  In 
return  for  all  this  abuse  the  hawk  contents  himself  with,  now 
and  then,  feasting  on  the  plumpest  of  his  persecutors;  who  are 
therefore  in  perpetual  dread  of  him;  and  yet,  through  some  strange 
infatuation,  or  from  fear  that  if  they  lose  sight  of  him  he  may 
attack  them  unawares,  the  Sparrow  Hawk  no  sooner  appears 
than  the  alarm  is  given,  and  the  whole  posse  of  Jays  follow. 

The  female  of  this  species,  which  is  here  faithfully  represent- 
ed from  a  very  beautiful  living  specimen,  furnished  by  a  parti- 
cular friend,  is  eleven  inches  long,  and  twenty-three  from  tip 


AMERICAN  SPARROW  HAWK.  41 

to  tip  of  the  expanded  wings.  The  cere  and  legs  are  yellow; 
bill  blue,  tipt  with  black;  space  round  the  eye  greenish  blue; 
iris  deep  dusky;  head  bluish  ash;  crown  rufous;  seven  spots  of 
black,  on  a  white  ground,  surround  the  head  in  the  manner  re- 
presented in  the  figure;  whole  upper  parts  reddish  bay,  trans- 
versely streaked  with  black;  primary  and  secondary  quills 
black,  spotted  on  their  inner  vanes  with  brownish  white;  whole 
lower  parts  yellowish  white,  marked  with  longitudinal  streaks 
of  brown,  except  the  chin,  vent  and  femoral  feathers,  which 
are  white;  claws  black. 


VOL   i. — H  h 


.     .  .   •'  ( 

FALCO  SPARVERIUS. 

AMERICAN  SPARROW  HAWK, 

[Plate  XXXII. —Fig.  2,  Male.] 

Little  Hawk,  Arct.  Zool.  211,  JVb.  1 1 0.— Emerillon  de  Cayenne, 
BUFF,  i,  291,  PL  enl.  No.  444.— LATH,  i,  110.— PEALE'S  Mu- 
seum, JVo.  340.* 

As  the  male  and  the  female  of  this  species  differ  considerably 
in  the  markings  of  their  plumage,  the  male  is  introduced,  drawn 
to  one  half  its  natural  size,  to  conform  with  the  rest  of  the 
figures  on  the  plate. 

The  male  Sparrow  Hawk  measures  about  ten  inches  in  length, 
and  twenty-one  in  extent;  the  whole  upper  parts  of  the  head 
are  of  a  fine  slate  blue,  the  shafts  of  the  plumage  being  black, 
the  crown  excepted,  which  is  marked  with  a  spot  of  bright 
rufous;  the  slate  tapers  to  a  point  on  each  side  of  the  neck; 
seven  black  spots  surround  the  head,  as  in  the  female,  on  a 
reddish  white  ground,  which  also  borders  each  sloping  side  of 
the  blue;  front,  lores,  line  over  and  under  the  eye,  chin  and 
throat,  white;  femoral  and  vent  feathers  yellowish  white;  the 
rest  of  the  lower  parts  of  the  same  tint,  each  feather  being  streak- 
ed down  the  centre  with  a  long  black  drop,  those  on  the  breast 
slender,  on  the  sides  larger;  upper  part  of  the  back  and  scapulars 
deep  reddish  bay,  marked  with  ten  or  twelve  transverse  waves 
of  black;  whole  wing-coverts,  and  ends  of  the  secondaries,  bright 
slate,  spotted  with  black;  primaries  and  upper  half  of  the  second- 

*  We  add  the  following  synonymes: — Falco  sparverius.  LINK.  Syst.  ed.  10,  p^ 
90. — GMEI.  Syst.  i,  p.  284. — Ind.  Orn.  p.  42. — F.  Dominicensis,  GMEL.  Syst. 
i,  p.  285.— Little  Hawk,  GATES  BY,  i,  p.  5.— L' Emerillon  de  la  Caroline,  BKISS. 
Orn.  i,  p.  386.  L'Emerillon  de  St.  Domingue,  Id.  p.  389. — Tinnunculus  sparve- 
rius, VIEIL.  Ois.  de  1'Am.  Sept.  p.  12-13. 


AMERICAN  SPARROW  HAWK.  43 

aries  black,  tipt  with  white,  and  spotted  on  their  inner  vanes 
with  the  same;  lower  part  of  the  back,  the  rump  and  tail-coverts, 
plain  bright  bay;  tail  rounded,  the  two  exterior  feathers  white, 
their  inner  vanes  beautifully  spotted  with  black;  the  next  bright 
bay,  with  a  broad  band  of  black  near  its  end,  and  tipt  for  half 
an  inch  with  yellowish  white,  part  of  its  lower  exterior  edge 
white,  spotted  with  black,  and  its  opposite  interior  edge  touched 
with  white;  the  whole  of  the  others  are  very  deep  red  bay,  with 
a  single  broad  band  of  black  near  the  end,  and  tipt  with  yellow- 
ish white;  cere  and  legs  yellow,  orbits  the  same,  bill  light  blue; 
iris  of  the  eye  dark,  almost  black,  claws  blue  black. 

The  character  of  this  corresponds  with  that  of  the  female, 
given  at  large  in  the  preceding  article.  I  have  reason,  however,  to 
believe,  that  these  birds  vary  considerably  in  the  colour  and 
markings  of  their  plumage  during  the  first  and  second  years; 
having  met  with  specimens  every  way  corresponding  with  the 
above,  except  in  the  breast,  which  was  a  plain  rufous  white, 
without  spots;  the  markings  on  the  tail  also  differing  a  little  in 
different  specimens.  These  I  uniformly  found  on  dissection  to 
be  males;  from  the  stomach  of  one  of  which  I  took  a  considera- 
ble partof  the  carcassof  a  robin  ( Turdusmigratorius,} including 
the  unbroken  feet  and  claws;  though  the  robin  actually  mea- 
sures within  half  an  inch  as  long  as  the  Sparrow  Hawk. 

Note. — This  species  is  very  common  among  the  cotton  plantations  of  Geor- 
gia and  East  Florida.  From  the  island  of  Cuba  we  received  a  living  specimen, 
which  differed  in  no  respect  from  the  same  species  in  the  United  States. 


SPECIES  3.     FdLCO  COLUMBJ1RIUS. 

PIGEON  HAWK. 
[Plate  XV.— Fig.  3.— Male.] 

LINN.  Syst.  ed.  10,  p.  90,  JVo.  19.— LATH.  Syn.  v.  i,p.  101,  *Vo. 
86. — L'Epervier  de  la  Caroline,  B.RISS.  Orn.  i,  p.  378.— CATESB. 
i,  p.  3,  t.  3. — BARTRAM,  p.  290. — GMEL.  Syst.  v.  i,  p.  281. — 
PEALE'S  Museum,  «7Vo.  352. 

THIS  small  Hawk  possesses  great  spirit  and  rapidity  of  flight. 
He  is  generally  migratory  in  the  middle  and  northern  states, 
arriving  in  Pennsylvania  early  in  spring,  and  extending  his 
migrations  as  far  north  as  Hudson's  Bay.  After  Jmilding  and 
rearing  his  young,  he  retires  to  the  south  early  in  November. 
Small  birds  and  mice  are  his  principal  food.  When  the  Reed- 
birds,  Grakles,  and  Red-winged  Blackbirds,  congregate  in  large 
flights,  he  is  often  observed  hovering  in  their  rear,  or  on  their 
flanks,  picking  up  the  weak,  the  wounded  or  stragglers;  and 
frequently  making  a  sudden  and  fatal  sweep  into  the  very  midst 
of  their  multitudes.  The  flocks  of  robins  and  pigeons  are  honour- 
ed with  the  same  attentions  from  this  marauder;  whose  daily 
excursions  are  entirely  regulated  by  the  movements  of  the  great 
body,  on  whose  unfortunate  members  he  fattens.  The  indivi- 
dual from  which  the  drawing  in  the  plate  was  taken,  was  shot 
in  the  meadows  below  Philadelphia,  in  the  month  of  August. 
He  was  carrying  off  a  blackbird  ( Oriolus  phceniceus}  from  the 
flock,  and  though  mortally  wounded  and  dying,  held  his  prey 
fast  till  his  last  expiring  breath;  having  struck  his  claws  into  its 
very  heart.  This  was  found  to  be  a  male.  Sometimes  when  shot 
at,  and  not  hurt,  he  will  fly  in  circles  over  the  sportsman's  head, 
shrieking  out  with  great  violence,  as  if  highly  irritated.  He 
frequently  flies  low,  skimming  a  little  above  the  field.  I  have 
never  seen  his  nest. 


PIGEON  HAWK.  45 

The  Pigeon  Hawk  is  eleven  inches  long,  and  twenty-three 
broad;  the  whole  upper  parts  are  of  a  deep  dark  brown,'  except 
the  tail,  which  is  crossed  with  bars  of  white;  the  inner  vanes  of 
the  quill  feathers  are  marked  with  round  spots  of  reddish  brown; 
the  bill  is  short,  strongly  toothed,  of  a  light  blue  colour,  and 
tipped  with  black;  the  skin  surrounding  the  eye  greenish;  cere 
the  same;  temples,  and  line  over  the  eye,  light  brown;  the 
lower  parts  brownish  white,  streaked  laterally  with  dark  brown; 
legs  yellow,  claws  black.  The  female  is  an  inch  and  a  half 
longer,  of  a  still  deeper  colour,  though  marked  nearly  in  the 
same  manner,  with  the  exception  of  some  white  on  the  hind- 
head.  The  femorals,  or  thigh  feathers,  in  both,  are  of  a  remark- 
able length,  reaching  nearly  to  the  feet,  and  are  also  streaked 
longitudinally  with  dark  brown.  The  irides  of  the  eyes  of  this 
bird  have  been  hitherto  described  as  being  of  a  brilliant  yellow; 
but  every  specimen  I  have  yet  met  with  had  the  iris  of  a  deep 
hazel.  I  must  therefore  follow  nature,  in  opposition  to  very 
numerous  and  respectable  authorities. 

I  cannot,  in  imitation  of  European  naturalists,  embellish  the 
history  of  this  species  with  anecdotes  of  its  exploits  in  falconry. 
This  science,  if  it  may  be  so  called,  is  among  the  few  that  have 
never  yet  travelled  across  the  Atlantic;  neither  does  it  appear 
that  the  idea  of  training  our  hawks  or  eagles  to  the  chace  ever 
suggested  itself  to  any  of  the  Indian  nations  of  North  America. 
The  Tartars,  however,  from  whom,  according  to  certain  wri- 
ters, many  of  these  nations  originated,  have  long  excelled  in 
the  practice  of  this  sport;  which  is  indeed  better  suited  to  an 
open  country  than  to  one  covered  with  forest.  Though  once  so 
honourable  and  so  universal,  it  is  now  much  disused  in  Europe, 
and  in  Britain  is  nearly  extinct  Yet  I  cannot  but  consider  it  as 
a  much  more  noble  and  princely  amusement  than  horse-racing 
and  cock-fighting,  cultivated  in  certain  states  with  so  much 
care;  or  even  than  pugilism,  which  is  still  so  highly  patronized 
in  some  of  those  enlightened  countries. 


SPECIES  4.  FJ1LCO  LEUCOCEPHALUS. 
WHITE-HEADED  OR  BALD  EAGLE.* 

[Plate  XXXVI.  Female.] 

LINN.  Syst.  124. — LATH,  i,  29. — Le'pygargue  a  tete  blanche, 
BUFF,  i,  99.pl.  enl.  41 1.— Arct.  Zool.  196,  JVo.  89.— Bald  Eagle, 
CATESB.  i,  1. — PEALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  78.t 

THIS  distinguished  bird,  as  he  is  the  most  beautiful  of  his 
tribe  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and  the  adopted  emblem  of  our 
country,  is  entitled  to  particular  notice.  He  is  represented,  in 
the  plate,  of  one-third  his  natural  size,  and  was  drawn  from 
one  of  the  largest  and  most  perfect  specimens  I  have  yet  met 
with.  In  the  back  ground  is  seen  a  distant  view  of  the  celebra- 
ted cataract  of  Niagara,  a  noted  place  of  resort  for  these  birds, 
as  well  on  account  of  the  fish  procured  there,  as  for  the  nume- 
rous carcasses  of  squirrels,  deer,  bear  and  various  other  animals, 
that,  in  their  attempts  to  cross  the  river,  above  the  falls,  have 
been  dragged  into  the  current,  and  precipitated  down  that  tre- 
mendous gulf;  where  among  the  rocks  that  bound  the  rapids 
below,  they  furnish  a  rich  repast  for  the  Vulture,  the  Raven, 
and  the  Bald  Eagle,  the  subject  of  the  present  account. 

This  bird  has  been  long  known  to  naturalists,  being  common 
to  both  continents;  and  occasionally  met  with  from  a  very  high 

*  The  epithet  bald,  applied  to  this  species,  whose  head  is  thickly  covered 
with  feathers,  is  equally  improper  and  absurd  with  the  titles  Goatsucker, 
Kingsfisher,  &c.  bestowed  on  others;  and  seems  to  have  been  occasioned  by 
the  white  appearance  of  the  head,  when  contrasted  with  the  dark  colour  of 
the  rest  of  the  plumage.  The  appellation,  however,  being  now  almost  univer- 
sal is  retained  in  the  following  pages. 

t  We  add  the  following  synonymes. — Falco  Leucocephalus,  GMBI.  Syst.  i, 
p.  255. — LATH.  Ind.  Orn.  p.  11. — J&gU  d  tete  blanche,  TEMM.  Man.  d*  Orn. 
p.  52.—  L'JUgle  pygargue,  VIEILLOT,  Ois.  de  1'Am.  Sept.  i,  p.  27,  pi.  3. 


WHITE-HEADED  EAGLE.  47 

northern  latitude,  to  the  borders  of  the  torrid  zone,  but  chiefly 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea,  and  along  the  shores  and  cliffs  of  our 
lakes  and  large  rivers.  Formed  by  nature  for  braving  the  se- 
verest cold ;  feeding  equally  on  the  produce  of  the  sea,  and  of 
the  land;  possessing  powers  of  flight,  capable  of  outstripping 
even  the  tempests  themselves;  unawed  by  any  thing  but  man, 
and,  from  the  ethereal  heights  to  which  he  soars,  looking  abroad 
at  one  glance,  on  an  immeasurable  expanse  of  forests,  fields, 
lakes  and  ocean,  deep  below  him;  he  appears  indifferent  to  the 
little  localities  of  change  of  seasons;  as  in  a  few  minutes  he  can 
pass  from  summer  to  winter,  from  the  lower  to  the  higher  re- 
gions of  the  atmosphere,  the  abode  of  eternal  cold;  and  thence 
descend  at  will  to  the  torrid  or  the  arctic  regions  of  the  earth. 
He  is  therefore  found  at  all  seasons  in  the  countries  he  inhabits; 
but  prefers  such  places  as  have  been  mentioned  above,  from  the 
great  partiality  he  has  for  fish. 

In  procuring  these  he  displays,  in  a  very  singular  manner, 
the  genius  and  energy  of  his  character,  which  is  fierce,  contem- 
plative, daring  and  tyrannical;  attributes  not  exerted  but  on 
particular  occasions;  but  when  put  forth,  overpowering  all  op- 
position. Elevated  on  a  high  dead  limb  of  some  gigantic  tree, 
that  commands  a  wide  view  of  the  neighbouring  shore  and 
ocean,  he  seems  calmly  to  contemplate  the  motions  of  the  va- 
rious feathered  tribes  that  pursue  their  busy  avocations  below: 
the  snow-white  Gulls,  slowly  winnowing  the  air;  the  busy 
Tringae,  coursing  along  the  sands;  trains  of  Ducks,  streaming 
over  the  surface;  silent  and  watchful  Cranes,  intent  and  wading; 
clamorous  Crows,  and  all  the  winged  multitudes  that  subsist  by 
the  bounty  of  this  vast  liquid  magazine  of  nature.  High  over 
all  these  hovers  one,  whose  action  instantly  arrests  all  his  atten- 
tion. By  his  wide  curvature  of  wing,  and  sudden  suspension 
in  air,  he  knows  him  to  be  the  Fish-Hawk,  settling  over  some 
devoted  victim  of  the  deep.  His  eye  kindles  at  the  sight,  and 
balancing  himself,  with  half-opened  wings,  on  the  branch,  he 
watches  the  result.  Down,  rapid  as  an  arrow  from  heaven,  de- 
scends the  distant  object  of  his  attention,  the  roar  of  its  wings 


48  WHITE-HEADED  EAGLE. 

reaching  the  ear  as  it  disappears  in  the  deep,  making  the  surges 
foam  around !  At  this  moment  the  eager  looks  of  the  Eagle  are 
all  ardour;  and  levelling  his  neck  for  flight,  he  sees  the  Fish- 
Hawk  once  more  emerge,  struggling  with  his  prey,  and  mount- 
ing in  the  air  with  screams  of  exultation.  These  are  the  signal 
for  our  hero,  who,  lanching  into  the  air,  instantly  gives  chace, 
soon  gains  on  the  Fish-Hawk,  each  exerts  his  utmost  to  mount 
above  the  other,  displaying  in  these  rencounters  the  most  elegant 
and  sublime  aerial  evolutions.  The  unincumbered  Eagle  rapidly 
advances,  and  is  just  on  the  point  of  reaching  his  opponent, 
when,  with  a  sudden  scream,  probably  of  despair  and  honest 
execration,  the  latter  drops  his  fish;  the  Eagle  poising  himself 
for  a  moment,  as  if  to  take  a  more  certain  aim,  descends  like  a 
whirlwind,  snatches  it  in  his  grasp  ere  it  reaches  the  water,  and 
bears  his  ill-gotten  booty  silently  away  to  the  woods. 

These  predatory  attacks,  and  defensive  manoeuvres,  of  the 
Eagle  and  the  Fish-Hawk,  are  matters  of  daily  observation  along 
the  whole  of  our  seacoast,  from  Florida  to  New  England;  and 
frequently  excite  great  interest  in  the  spectators.  Sympathy, 
however,  on  this,  as  on  most  other  occasions,  generally  sides 
with  the  honest  and  laborious  sufferer,  in  opposition  to  the  at- 
tacks of  power,  injustice  and  rapacity;  qualities  for  which  our 
hero  is  so  generally  notorious,  and  which,  in  his  superior  man, 
are  certainly  detestable.  As  for  the  feelings  of  the  poor  fish, 
they  seem  altogether  out  of  the  question. 

When  driven,  as  he  sometimes  is,  by  the  combined  courage 
and  perseverance  of  the  Fish-Hawks  from  their  neighbourhood, 
and  forced  to  hunt  for  himself,  he  retires  more  inland,  in  search 
of  young  pigs,  of  which  he  destroys  great  numbers.  In  the 
lower  parts  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  where  the  inhab- 
itants raise  vast  herds  of  those  animals,  complaints  of  this  kind 
are  very  general  against  him.  He  also  destroys  young  lambs 
in  the  early  part  of  spring;  and  will  sometimes  attack  old  sick- 
ly sheep,  aiming  furiously  at  their  eyes. 

In  corroboration  of  the  remarks  I  have  myself  made  on  the 
manners  of  the  Bald  Eagle,  many  accounts  have  reached  me 


WHITE-HEADED  EAGLE.  49 

from  various  persons  of  respectability,  living  on  or  near  our  sea- 
coast;  the  substance  of  all  these  I  shall  endeavour  to  incorporate 
with  the  present  account. 

Mr.  John  L.  Gardiner,  who  resides  on  an  island  of  three 
thousand  acres,  about  three  miles  from  the  eastern  point  of  Long 
island,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  Gardiner's  bay,  and  who 
has  consequently  many  opportunities  of  observing  the  habits  of 
these  birds,  has  favoured  me  with  a  number  of  interesting  par- 
ticulars on  this  subject;  for  which  I  beg  leave  thus  publicly  to 
return  my  grateful  acknowledgment. 

"  The  Bald  Eagles,"  says  this  gentleman,  "  remain  on  this  isl- 
"  and  during  the  whole  winter.  They  can  be  most  easily  disco v- 
"ered  on  evenings  by  their  loud  snoring  while  asleep,  on  high 
"  oak  trees;  and  when  awake,  their  hearing  seems  to  be  nearly 
"  as  good  as  their  sight.  I  think  I  mentioned  to  you  that  I  had 
"  myself  seen  one  flying  with  a  lamb  ten  days  old,  and  which 
"  it  dropped  on  the  ground,  from  about  ten  or  twelve  feet  high. 
"  The  struggling  of  the  lamb,  more  than  its  weight,  prevented 
"  its  carrying  it  away.  My  running,  hallooing,  and  being  very 
"  near,  might  prevent  its  completing  its  design.  It  had  broke 
"  the  back  in  the  act  of  seizing  it;  and  I  was  under  the  necessi- 
"  ty  of  killing  it  outright  to  prevent  its  misery.  The  lamb's 
"dam  seemed  astonished  to  see  its  innocent  offspring  borne  off 
"  into  the  air  by  a  bird. 

"  I  was  lately  told,"  continues  Mr.  Gardiner,  "  by  a  man  of 
"  truth,  that  he  saw  an  Eagle  rob  a  Hawk  of  its  fish,  and  the 
"  Hawk  seemed  so  enraged  as  to  fly  down  at  the  Eagle,  while  the 
"  Eagle  very  deliberately,  in  the  air,  threw  himself  partly  over 
"  on  his  back,  and  while  he  grasped  with  one  foot  the  fish,  ex- 
"  tended  the  other  to  threaten  or  seize  the  Hawk.  I  have 
"  known  several  Hawks  unite  to  attack  the  Eagle;  but  never 
"  knew  a  single  one  to  do  it.  The  Eagle  seems  to  regard  the 
"  Hawks  as  the  Hawks  do  the  King-birds,  only  as  teasing, 
" troublesome  fellows." 

From  the  same  intelligent  and  obliging  friend,  I  lately  re- 
ceived a  well  preserved  skin  of  the  Bald  Eagle,  which,  from  its 

VOL.  i. — i  i 


50  WHITE-HEADED  EAGLE. 

appearance,  and  the  note  that  accompanied  it,  seems  to  have 
belonged  to  a  very  formidable  individual.  "  It  was  shot,"  says 
Mr.  Gardiner,  "  last  winter,  on  this  island,  and  weighed  thir- 
"  teen  pounds,  measured  three  feet  in  length,  and  seven  from 
"  tip  to  tip  of  the  expanded  wings;  was  extremely  fierce  look- 
"  ing;  though  wounded,  would  turn  his  back  to  no  one;  fasten- 
"  ed  his  claws  into  the  head  of  a  dog,  and  was  with  difficulty 
"  disengaged.  I  have  rode  on  horseback  within  five  or  six 
"  rod  of  one,  who,  by  his  bold  demeanour,  raising  his  feathers, 
"  &c.  seemed  willing  to  dispute  the  ground  with  its  owner, 
"  The  crop  of  the  present  was  full  of  mutton  from  my  part- 
"  blood  Merinos;  and  his  intestines  contained  feathers,  which 
"  he  probably  devoured  with  a  duck,  or  winter  gull,  as  I  ob- 
"  served  an  entire  foot  and  leg  of  some  water  fowl.  I  had  two 
"  killed  previous  to  this  which  weighed  ten  pounds  avoirdu- 
"  poiseach." 

The  intrepidity  of  character,  mentioned  above,  may  be  far- 
ther illustrated  by  the  following  fact,  which  occurred  a  few 
years  ago,  near  Great  Egg-harbour,  New  Jersey.  A  woman 
who  happened  to  be  weeding  in  the  garden,  had  set  her  child 
down  near,  to  amuse  itself  while  she  was  at  work;  when  a  sud- 
den and  extraordinary  rushing  sound,  and  a  scream  from  her 
child  alarmed  her,  and  starting  up,  she  beheld  the  infant  thrown 
down  and  dragged  some  few  feet,  and  a  large  Bald  Eagle  bear- 
ing off  a  fragment  of  its  frock,  which  being  the  only  part  seized, 
and  giving  way,  providentially  saved  the  life  of  the  infant. 

The  appetite  of  the  Bald  Eagle,  though  habituated  to  long 
fasting,  is  of  the  most  voracious,  and  often  the  most  indelicate 
kind.  Fish,  when  he  can  obtain  them,  are  preferred  to  all 
other  fare.  Young  lambs  and  pigs  are  dainty  morsels,  and 
made  free  with  on  all  favourable  occasions.  Ducks,  geese, 
gulls,  and  other  sea-fowl,  are  also  seized  with  avidity.  The 
most  putrid  carrion,  when  nothing  better  can  be  had,  is  ac- 
ceptable; and  the  collected  groups  of  gormandizing  Vultures, 
on  the  approach  of  this  dignified  personage,  instantly  disperse,. 


WHITE-HEADED  EAGLE.  51 

and  make  way  for  their  master,  waiting  his  departure  in  sullen 
silence,  and  at  a  respectful  distance,  on  the  adjacent  trees. 

In  one  of  those  partial  migrations  of  tree  squirrels,  that  some- 
times take  place  in  our  western  forests,  many  thousands  of  them 
were  drowned  in  attempting  to  cross  the  Ohio;  and  at  a  certain 
place,  not  far  from  Wheeling,  a  prodigious  number  of  their  dead 
bodies  were  floated  to  the  shore  by  an  eddy.  Here  the  Vul- 
tures assembled  in  great  force,  and  had  regaled  themselves  for 
some  time,  when  a  Bald  Eagle  made  his  appearance,  and  took 
sole  possession  of  the  premises,  keeping  the  whole  Vultures  at 
their  proper  distance,  for  several  days.  He  has  also  been  seen 
navigating  the  same  river  on  a  floating  carrion,  though  scarce- 
ly raised  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  tugging  at  the  car- 
cass, regardless  of  snags,  sawyers,  planters  or  shallows.  He 
sometimes  carries  his  tyranny  to  great  extremes  against  the 
Vultures.  In  hard  times,  when  food  happens  to  be  scarce, 
should  he  accidentally  meet  with  one  of  these  who  has  its  craw 
crammed  with  carrion,  he  attacks  it  fiercely  in  air;  the  coward- 
ly Vulture  instantly  disgorges,  and  the  delicious  contents  are 
snatched  up  by  the  Eagle  before  they  reach  the  ground. 

The  nest  of  this  species  is  generaily  fixed  on  a  very  large 
and  lofty  tree,  often  in  a  swamp,  or  morass,  and  difficult  to  be 
ascended.  On  some  noted  tree  of  this  description,  often  a  pine 
or  cypress,  the  Bald  Eagle  builds,  year  after  year,  for  a  long  se- 
ries of  years.  When  both  male  and  female  have  been  shot  from 
the  nest,  another  pair  has  soon  after  taken  possession.  The 
nest  is  large,  being  added  to,  and  repaired,  every  season,  Until 
it  becomes  a  black  prominent  mass,  observable  at  a  considera- 
ble distance.  It  is  formed  of  large  sticks,  sods,  earthy  rubbish, 
hay,  moss,  &c.  Many  have  stated  to  me  that  the  female  lays 
first  a  single  egg,  and  that  after  having  sat  on  it  for  some  time, 
she  lays  another;  when  the  first  is  hatched,  the  warmth  of  that, 
it  is  pretended,  hatches  the  other.  Whether  this  be  correct  or 
not  I  cannot  determine;  but  a  very  respectable  gentleman  of 
Virginia  assured  me,  that  he  saw  a  large  tree  cut  down,  con- 
taining the  nest  of  a  Bald  Eagle,  in  which  were  two  young,  one 


52  WHITE-HEADED  EAGLE. 

of  which  appeared  nearly  three  times  as  large  as  the  other.  As 
a  proof  of  their  attachment  to  their  young,  a  person  near  Nor- 
folk informed  me,  that,  in  clearing  a  piece  of  woods  on  his 
place,  they  met  with  a  large  dead  pine  tree,  on  which  was  a 
Bald  Eagle's  nest  and  young.  The  tree  being  on  fire  more  than 
half  way  up,  and  the  flames  rapidly  ascending,  the  parent  Ea- 
gle darted  around  and  among  the  flames,  until  her  plumage  was 
so  much  injured  that  it  was  with  difficulty  she  could  make  her 
escape,  and  even  then,  she  several  times  attempted  to  return  to 
relieve  her  offspring. 

No  bird  provides  more  abundantly  for  its  young  than  the 
Bald  Eagle.  Fish  are  daily  carried  thither  in  numbers,  so  that 
they  sometimes  lie  scattered  round  the  tree,  and  the  putrid 
smell  of  the  nest  may  be  distinguished  at  the  distance  of  seve- 
ral hundred  yards.  The  young  are  at  first  covered  with  a  thick, 
whitish,  or  cream-coloured  cottony  down;  they  gradually  be- 
come of  a  gray  colour,  as  their  plumage  develops  itself,  con- 
tinue of  the  brown  gray  until  the  third  year,  when  the  white 
begins  to  make  its  appearance  on  the  head,  neck,  tail-coverts 
and  tail;  these,  by  the  end  of  the  fourth  year,  are  completely 
white,  or  very  slightly  tinged  with  cream;  the  eye  also  is  at 
first  hazel,  but  gradually  brightens  into  a  brilliant  straw  colour, 
with  the  white  plumage  of  the  head.  Such  at  least  was  the 
gradual  progress  of  this  change,  witnessed  by  myself,  on  a  very 
fine  specimen,  brought  up  by  a  gentleman,  a  friend  of  mine, 
who  for  a  considerable  time  believed  it  to  be  what  is  usually 
called  the  Gray  Eagle,  and  was  much  surprised  at  the  gradual 
metamorphosis.  This  will  account  for  the  circumstance,  so  fre- 
quently observed,  of  the  Gray  and  White-headed  Eagle  being 
seen  together,  both  being  in  fact  the  same  species,  in  different 
stages  of  colour,  according  to  their  difference  of  age. 

The  flight  of  the  Bald  Eagle,  when  taken  into  consideration 
with  the  ardour  and  energy  of  his  character,  is  noble  and  in- 
teresting. Sometimes  the  human  eye  can  just  discern  him,  like 
a  minute  speck,  moving  in  slow  curvatures  along  the  face  of  the 
heavens,  as  if  reconnoitring  the  earth  at  that  immense  distance. 


WHITE-HEADED  EAGLE.  53 

Sometimes  he  glides  along  in  a  direct  horizontal  line,  at  a  vast 
height,  with  expanded  and  unmoving  wings,  till  he  gradually 
disappears  in  the  distant  blue  ether.  Seen  gliding  in  easy  cir- 
cles over  the  high  shores,  and  mountainous  cliffs,  that  tower 
above  the  Hudson  and  Susquehanna,  he  attracts  the  eye  of  the 
intelligent  voyager,  and  adds  great  interest  to  the  scenery.  At 
the  great  cataract  of  Niagara,  already  mentioned,  there  rises 
from  the  gulf,  into  which  the  fall  of  the  Horse-shoe  descends, 
a  stupendous  column  of  smoke,  or  spray,  reaching  to  the  hea- 
vens, and  moving  off  in  large  black  clouds,  according  to  the  di- 
rection of  the  wind,  forming  a  very  striking  and  majestic  ap- 
pearance. The  Eagles  are  here  seen  sailing  about,  sometimes 
losing  themselves  in  this  thick  column,  and  again  re-appearing 
in  another  place,  with  such  ease  and  elegance  of  motion,  as  ren- 
ders the  whole  truly  sublime. 

High  o'er  the  watery  uproar,  silent  seen, 
Sailing  sedate,  in  majesty  serene, 
Now  midst  the  pillar'd  spray  sublimely  lost, 
And  now,  emerging,  down  the  rapids  tost, 
Glides  the  Bald  Eagle,  gazing,  calm  and  slow, 
O'er  all  the  horrors  of  the  scene  below; 
Intent  alone  to  sate  himself  with  blood, 
From  the  torn  victims  of  the  raging  flood. 

The  White-headed  Eagle  is  three  feet  long,  and  seven  feet 
in  extent;  the  bill  is  of  a  rich  yellow;  cere  the  same,  slightly 
tinged  with  green;  mouth  flesh  coloured,  tip  of  the  tongue  blu- 
ish black;  the  head,  chief  part  of  the  neck,  vent,  tail-coverts 
and  tail,  are  white  in  the  perfect  or  old  birds  of  both  sexes,  in 
those  under  three  years  of  age  these  parts  are  of  a  gray  brown; 
the  rest  of  the  plumage  is  deep  dark  brown,  each  feather  tipt 
with  pale  brown,  lightest  on  the  shoulder  of  the  wing,  and 
darkest  towards  its  extremities;  the  conformation  of  the  wing 
is  admirably  adapted  for  the  support  of  so  large  a  bird;  it  mea- 
sures two  feet  in  breadth  on  the  greater  quills,  and  sixteen 
inches  on  the  lesser;  the  longest  primaries  are  twenty  inches 
in  length,  and  upwards  of  one  inch  in  circumference  where 


54  WHITE-HEADED  EAGLE. 

they  enter  the  skin;  the  broadest  secondaries  are  three  inches 
in  breadth  across  the  vane;  the  scapulars  are  very  large  and 
broad,  spreading  from  the  back  to  the  wing,  to  prevent  the  air 
from  passing  through;  another  range  of  broad  flat  feathers,  from 
three  to  ten  inches  in  length,  also  extends  from  the  lower  part 
of  the  breast  to  the  wing  below,  for  the  same  purpose;  between 
these  lies  a  deep  triangular  cavity;  the  thighs  are  remarkably 
thick,  strong,  and  muscular,  covered  with  long  feathers  point- 
ing backwards,  usually  called  the  femoral  feathers;  the  legs, 
which  are  covered  half  way  below  the  knee,  before,  with  dark 
brown  downy  feathers,  are  of  a  rich  yellow,  the  colour  of  ripe 
Indian  corn;  feet  the  same;  claws  blue  black,  very  large  and 
strong,  particularly  the  inner  one,  which  is  considerably  the 
largest,  soles  very  rough  and  warty;  the  eye  is  sunk  under  a 
bony  or  cartilaginous  projection,  of  a  pale  yellow  colour,  and 
is  turned  considerably  forwards,  not  standing  parallel  with  the 
cheeks,  the  iris  is  of  a  bright  straw  colour,  pupil  black. 

The  male  is  generally  two  or  three  inches  shorter  than  the 
female;  the  white  on  the  head,  neck  and  tail,  being  more 
tinged  with  yellowish,  and  its  whole  appearance  less  formida- 
ble; the  brown  plumage  is  also  lighter,  and  the  bird  itself  less 
daring  than  the  female,  a  circumstance  common  to  almost  all 
birds  of  prey. 

The  bird  from  which  the'  foregoing  drawing  and  description 
were  taken,  was  shot  near  Great  Egg-harbour,  in  the  month  of 
January  last,  was  in  excellent  order,  and  weighed  about  eleven 
pounds.  Dr.  Samuel  B.  Smith,  of  this  city,  obliged  me  with 
a  minute  and  careful  dissection  of  it;  from  whose  copious  and 
very  interesting  notes  on  the  subject,  I  shall  extract  such  re- 
marks as  are  suited  to  the  general  reader. 

"  The  Eagle  you  sent  me  for  dissection  was  a  beautiful  fe- 
"  male.  It  had  two  expansions  of  the  gullet.  The  first  prin- 
"  cipally  composed  of  longitudinal  bundles  of  fibre,  in  which 
"  (as  the  bird  is  ravenous  and  without  teeth)  large  portions  of 
"  unmasticated  meats  are  suffered  to  dissolve  before  they  pass 
"  to  the  lower  or  proper  stomach,  which  is  membranous.  I. 


WHITE-HEADED  EAGLE,  55 

"  did  not  receive  the  bird  time  enough  to  ascertain  whether 
"  any  chylification  was  effected  by  the  juices  from  the  vessels 
"  of  this  enlargement  of  the  oesophagus.  I  think  it  probable  that 
"  it  also  has  a  regurgitating  or  vomiting  power,  as  the  bird  con- 
"  stantly  swallows  large  quantities  of  indigestible  substances, 
"  such  as  quills,  hairs,  &c.  In  this  sac  of  the  Eagle,  I  found  the 
66  quill  feathers  of  the  small  white  gull;  and  in  the  true  stomach, 
"  the  tail  and  some  of  the  breast  feathers  of  the  same  bird;  and 
"  the  dorsal  vertebrae  of  a  large  fish.  This  excited  some  sur- 
"  prise,  until  you  made  me  acquainted  with  the  fact  of  its 
"  watching  the  Fish-hawks,  and  robbing  them  of  their  prey. 
"  Thus  we  see,  throughout  the  whole  empire  of  animal  life, 
"  power  is  almost  always  in  a  state  of  hostility  to  justice,  and 
"  of  the  Deity  only  can  it  truly  be  said,  that  justice  is  com- 
"  mensurate  with  power! 

"  The  Eagle  has  the  several  auxiliaries  to  digestion  and  as- 
"  similation  in  common  with  man.  The  liver  was  unusually 
"  large  in  your  specimen.  It  secretes  bile,  which  stimulates 
"  the  intestines,  prepares  the  chyle  for  blood,  and  by  this  very 
"  secretion  of  bile,  (as  it  is  a  deeply  respiring  animal,)  sepa- 
"  rates  or  removes  some  obnoxious  principles  from  the  blood. 
"  (See  Dr.  Rush's  admirable  lecture  on  this  important  viscus 
"  in  the  human  subject. )  The  intestines  were  also  large,  long, 
"  convolute,  and  supplied  with  numerous  lacteal  vessels,  which 
"  differ  little  from  those  of  men,  except  in  colour,  which  was 
"  transparent.  The  kidneys  were  large,  and  seated  on  each 
"  side  the  vertebrae,  near  the  anus.  They  are  also  destined  to 
66  secrete  some  offensive  principles  from  the  blood. 

"  The  eggs  were  small  and  numerous;  and  after  a  careful  ex- 
"  animation,  I  concluded  that  no  sensible  increase  takes  place 
"  in  them  till  the  particular  season.  This  may  account  for 
"  the  unusual  excitement  which  prevails  in  these  birds  in  the 
"  sexual  intercourse.  Why  there  are  so  many  eggs  is  a  mys- 
"  tery.  It  is  perhaps  consistent  with  natural  law,  that  every 
"  thing  should  be  abundant;  but  from  this  bird,  it  is  said,  no 
"  more  than  two  young  are  hatched  in  a  season,  consequently 


56  WHITE-HEADED  EAGLE. 

"  no  more  eggs  are  wanted  than  a  sufficiency  to  produce  that 
"  effect.  Are  the  eggs  numbered  originally,  and  is  there  no 
"increase  of  number,  but  a  gradual  loss,  till  all  are  deposited? 
"  If  so,  the  number  may  correspond  to  the  long  life  and  vigo- 
"  rous  health  of  this  noble  bird.  Why  there  is  but  two  young 
"  in  a  season,  is  easily  explained.  Nature  has  been  studiously 
"  parsimonious  of  her  physical  strength,  from  whence  the  tribes 
"  of  animals  incapable  to  resist,  derive  security  and  confi- 
"  dence." 

The  Eagle  is  said  to  live  to  a  great  age,  sixty,  eighty,  and 
as  some  assert,  one  hundred  years.  This  circumstance  is  re- 
markable, when  we  consider  the  seeming  intemperate  habits  of 
the  bird.  Sometimes  fasting  through  necessity,  for  several 
days,  and  at  other  times  gorging  itself  with  animal  food,  till  its 
craw  swells  out  the  plumage  of  that  part,  forming  a  large  pro- 
tuberance on  the  breast.  This,  however,  is  its  natural  food, 
and  for  these  habits  its  whole  organization  is  particularly  adapt- 
ed. It  has  not,  like  men,  invented  rich  wines,  ardent  spirits, 
and  a  thousand  artificial  poisons,  in  the  form  of  soups,  sauces, 
and  sweetmeats.  Its  food  is  simple,  it  indulges  freely,  uses 
great  exercise,  breathes  the  purest  air,  is  healthy,  vigorous  and 
longlived.  The  lords  of  the  creation  themselves  might  derive 
some  useful  hints  from  these  facts,  were  they  not  already,  in 
general,  too  wise,  or  too  proud,  to  learn  from  their  inferiors, 
the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  beasts  of  the  field. 


FrfLCQ  OSSIFRtfGUS* 
SEA  EAGLE. 

[Plate  LV.—  Fig.  2.] 

Sea  Eagle,  drct.  Zool.  p.  194,  JVo.  86,^3. — PEALE'S  Museum,  JVu. 

80,  Male. 

THIS  eagle  inhabits  the  same  countries,  frequents  the  same 
situations,  and  lives  on  the  same  kind  of  food,  as  the  Bald  Eagle, 
with  whom  it  is  often  seen  in  company.  It  resembles  this  last 
so  much  in  figure,  size,  form  of  the  bill,  legs  and  claws,  and  is 
so  often  seen  associating  with  it,  both  along  the  Atlantic  coast, 
and  in  the  vicinity  of  our  lakes  and  large  rivers,  that  I  have 
strong  suspicions,  notwithstanding  ancient  and  very  respectable 
authorities  to  the  contrary,  of  its  being  the  same  species,  only 
in  a  different  stage  of  colour. 

That  several  years  elapse  before  the  young  of  the  Bald  Eagle 
receive  the  white  head,  neck  and  tail;  and  that  during  the  in- 
termediate period  their  plumage  strongly  resembles  that  of  the 
Sea  Eagle,  I  am  satisfied  from  my  own  observation  on  three 
several  birds  kept  by  persons  of  this  city.  One  of  these  belong- 
ing to  the  late  Mr.  Enslen,  collector  of  natural  subjects  for  the 
emperor  of  Austria,  was  confidently  believed  by  him  to  be  the 
Black,  or  Sea  Eagle,  until  the  fourth  year,  when  the  plumage  on 
the  head,  tail  and  tail-coverts,  began  gradually  to  become  white; 
the  bill  also  exchanged  its  dusky  hue  for  that  of  yellow;  and 
before  its  death,  this  bird,  which  I  frequently  examined,  as- 
sumed the  perfect  dress  of  the  full-plumaged  Bald  Eagle.  An- 
other circumstance  corroborating  these  suspicions,  is  the  varie- 
ty that  occurs  in  the  colours  of  the  Sea  Eagle.  Scarcely  two  of 

*  This  is  not  a  distinct  species,  but  the  young  of -the  preceding1,  the  Falco 
leucocephalus. 

VOL.  I. — K  k 


58  SEA  EAGLE. 

these  are  found  to  be  alike,  their  plumage  being  more  or  less 
diluted  with  white.  In  some,  the  chin,  breast  and  tail-coverts, 
are  of  a  deep  brown;  in  others  nearly  white;  and  in  all  evident- 
ly unfixed,  and  varying  to  a  pure  white.  Their  place  and  man- 
ner of  building,  on  high  trees,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  lakes, 
large  rivers,  or  the  ocean,  exactly  similar  to  the  Bald  Eagle,  also 
strengthens  the  belief.  At  the  celebrated  cataract  of  Niagara, 
great  numbers  of  these  birds,  called  there  Gray  Eagles,  are  con- 
tinually seen  sailing  high  and  majestically  over  the  watery  tu- 
mult, in  company  with  the  Bald  Eagles,  eagerly  watching  for 
the  mangled  carcasses  of  those  animals  that  have  been  hurried 
over  the  precipice,  and  cast  up  on  the  rocks  below,  by  the  vio- 
lence of  the  rapids.  These  are  some  of  the  circumstances  on 
which  my  suspicions  of  the  identity  of  those  two  birds  are 
founded.  In  some  future  part  of  the  work,  I  hope  to  be  able  to 
speak  with  more  certainty  on  this  subject. 

Were  we  disposed,  after  the  manner  of  some,  to  substitute 
for  plain  matters  of  fact  all  the  narratives,  conjectures,  and 
fanciful  theories  of  travellers,  voyagers,  compilers,  &c.  relative 
to  the  history  of  the  Eagle,  the  volumes  of  these  writers,  from 
Aristotle  down  to  his  admirer  the  Count  de  Buffon,  would  fur- 
nish abundant  materials  for  this  purpose.  But  the  author  of  the 
present  work  feels  no  ambition  to  excite  surprise  and  astonish- 
ment at  the  expense  of  truth,  or  to  attempt  to  elevate  and  em- 
bellish his  subject  beyond  the  plain  realities  of  nature.    On  this 
account,  he  cannot  assent  to  the  assertion,  however  eloquently 
made,  in  the  celebrated  parallel  drawn  by  the  French  naturalist 
between  the  Lion  and  the  Eagle,  viz.  that  the  Eagle,  like  the  Li- 
on, "disdains  the  possession  of  that  property  which  is  not  the  fruit 
of  his  own  industry,  and  rejects  with  contempt  the  prey  which 
is  not  procured  by  his  own  exertions;"  since  the  very  reverse 
of  this  is  the  case  in  the  conduct  of  the  Bald  and  the  Sea  Eagle, 
who,  during  the  summer  months,  are  the  constant  plunderers 
of  the  Osprey  or  Fish-Hawk,  by  whose  industry  alone  both  are 
usually  fed.  Nor  that  "  though  famished  for  want  of  prey ,  he 
disdains  to  feed  on  carrion,"  since  we  have  ourselves  seen  the 


SEA  EAGLE.  59 

Bald  Eagle,  while  seated  on  the  dead  carcass  of  a  horse,  keep  a 
whole  flock  of  Vultures  at  a  respectful  distance,  until  he  had 
fully  sated  his  own  appetite.  The  Count  has  also  taken  great 
pains  to  expose  the  ridiculous  opinion  of  Pliny,  who  conceived 
that  the  Ospreys  formed  no  separate  race,  and  that  they  pro- 
ceeded from  the  intermixture  of  different  species  of  Eagles,  the 
young  of  which  were  not  Ospreys,  only  Sea  Eagles;  which  Sea 
Eagles,  says  he,  breed  small  Vultures,  which  engender  great 
Vultures  that  have  not  the  power  of  propagation*  But,  while 
labouring  to  confute  these  absurdities,  the  Count  himself,  in  his 
belief  of  an  occasional  intercourse  between  the  Osprey  and  the 
Sea  Eagle,  contradicts  all  actual  observation,  and  one  of  the  most 
common  and  fixed  laws  of  nature;  for  it  may  be  safely  asserted, 
that  there  is  no  habit  more  universal  among  the  feathered  race, 
in  their  natural  state,  than  that  chastity  of  attachment,  which 
confines  the  amours  of  individuals  to  those  of  their  own  species 
only.  That  perversion  of  nature  produced  by  domestication  is 
nothing  to  the  purpose.  In  no  instance  have  I  ever  observed  the 
slightest  appearance  of  a  contrary  conduct.  Even  in  those  birds 
which  never  build  a  nest  for  themselves,  nor  hatch  their  young, 
nor  even  pair,  but  live  in  a  state  of  general  concubinage:  such 
as  the  Cuckoo  of  the  old,  and  the  Cow  Bunting  of  the  new  con- 
tinent; there  is  no  instance  of  a  deviation  from  this  striking 
habit.  I  cannot  therefore  avoid  considering  the  opinion  above 
alluded  to,  that  "the  male  Osprey  by  coupling  with  the  female 
Sea  Eagle  produces  Sea  Eagles;  and  that  the  female  Osprey  by 
pairing  with  the  male  Sea  Eagle  gives  birth  to  Osprey s"t  or  Fish- 
Hawks,  as  altogether  unsupported  by  facts,  and  contradicted  by 
the  constant  and  universal  habits  of  the  whole  feathered  race  in 
their  state  of  nature. 

The  Sea  Eagle  is  said  by  Salerne  to  build  on  the  loftiest  oaks 
a  very  broad  nest,  into  which  it  drops  two  large  eggs,  that  are 
quite  round,  exceedingly  heavy,  and  of  a  dirty  white  colour. 
Of  the  precise  time  of  building  we  have  no  account,  but  some- 

*  Hist,  Nat.  lib.  x,  c.  3.  t  BUFFO w,  vol.  I,  p.  80,  Trans, 


00  SEA  EAGLE. 

thing  may  be  deduced  from  the  following  circumstance.  In  the 
month  of  May,  while  on  a  shooting  excursion  along  the  sea- 
coast,  not  far  from  Great  Egg-Harbour,  accompanied  by  my 
friend  Mr.  Ord,  we  were  conducted  about  a  mile  into  the  woods, 
to  see  an  Eagle's  nest.  On  approaching  within  a  short  distance 
of  the  place,  the  bird  was  perceived  slowly  retreating  from  the 
nest,  which  we  found  occupied  the  centre  of  the  top  of  a  very 
large  yellow  pine.  The  woods  were  cut  down,  and  cleared  off 
for  several  rods  around  the  spot,  which,  from  this  circumstance, 
and  the  stately  erect  trunk,  and  large  crooked  wriggling  branches 
of  the  tree,  surmounted  by  a  black  mass  of  sticks  and  brush, 
had  a  very  singular  and  picturesque  effect.  Our  conductor  had 
brought  an  axe  with  him  to  cut  down  the  tree;  but  my  com- 
panion, anxious  to  save  the  eggs,  or  young,  insisted  on  ascend- 
ing to  the  nest,  which  he  fearlessly  performed,  while  we  sta- 
tioned ourselves  below,  ready  to  defend  him  in  case  of  an  at- 
tack from  the  old  Eagles.  No  opposition,  however,  was  offered; 
and  on  reaching  the  nest,  it  was  found,  to  our  disappointment, 
empty.  It  was  built  of  large  sticks,  some  of  them  several  feet 
in  length;  within  which  lay  sods  of  earth,  sedge,  grass,  dry 
reeds,  &c.  &c.  piled  to  the  height  of  five  or  six  feet,  by  more 
than  four  in  breadth;  it  was  well  lined  with  fresh  pine  tops,  and 
had  little  or  no  concavity.  Under  this  lining  lay  the  recent  exu- 
viae of  the  young  of  the  present  year,  such  as  scales  of  the  quill 
feathers,  down,  &c.  Our  guide  had  passed  this  place  late  in  Fe- 
bruary, at  which  time  both  male  and  female  were  making  a 
great  noise  about  the  nest;  and  from  what  we  afterwards  learnt, 
it  is  highly  probable  it  contained  young,  even  at  that  early  time 
of  the  season. 

A  few  miles  from  this  is  another  Eagle's  nest,  built  also  on  a 
pine  tree,  which,  from  the  information  received  from  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  woods,  had  been  long  the  residence  of  this  family 
of  Eagles.  The  tree  on  which  the  nest  was  originally  built  had 
been  for  time  immemorial,  or  at  least  ever  since  he  remember- 
ed, inhabited  by  these  Eagles.  Some  of  his  sons  cut  down  this 
tree  to  procure  the  young,  which  were  two  in  number;  and  the 


SEA  EAGLE.  61 

Eagles  soon  after  commencea  building  another  nest  on  the  very 
next  adjoining  tree,  thus  exhibiting  a  very  particular  attachment 
to  the  spot.  The  Eagles,  he  says,  make  it  a  kind  of  home,  and 
lodging  place  in  all  seasons.  This  man  asserts,  that  the  Gray, 
or  Sea  Eagles,  are  the  young  of  the  Bald  Eagle,  and  that  they 
are  several  years  old  before  they  begin  to  breed.  It  does  not 
drive  its  young  from  the  nest  like  the  Osprey,  or  Fish-Hawk; 
but  continues  to  feed  them  long  after  they  leave  it. 

The  bird  from  which  the  figure  in  the  plate  was  drawn,  and 
which  is  reduced  to  one-third  the  size  of  life,  measured  three 
feet  in  length,  and  upwards  of  seven  feet  in  extent.  The  bill 
was  formed  exactly  like  that  of  the  Bald  Eagle,  but  of  a  dusky 
brown  colour;  cere  and  legs  bright  yellow;  the  latter,  as  in  the 
Bald  Eagle,  feathered  a  little  below  the  knee;  irides  a  bright 
straw  colour;  head  above,  neck  and  back  streaked  with  light 
brown,  deep  brown  and  white,  the  plumage  being  white,  tipt 
and  centred  with  brown;  scapulars  brown;  lesser  wing-coverts 
very  pale,  intermixed  with  white;  primaries  black,  their  shafts 
brownish  white;  rump  pale  brownish  white;  tail  rounded,  some- 
what longer  than  the  wings  when  shut,  brown  on  the  exterior 
vanes,  the  inner  ones  white,  sprinkled  with  dirty  brown;  throat, 
breast  and  belly,  white,  dashed  and  streaked  with  different  tints 
of  brown  and  pale  yellow;  vent  brown,  tipt  with  white;  femo- 
rals  dark  brown,  tipt  with  lighter;  auriculars  brown,  forming 
a  bar  from  below  the  eye  backwards;  plumage  of  the  neck  long, 
narrow  and  pointed,  as  is  usual  with  the  Eagles,  and  of  a  brown- 
ish colour  tipt  with  white. 

The  Sea  Eagle  is  said  by  various  authors  to  hunt  at  night  as 
well  as  during  the  day;  and  that  besides  fish  it  feeds  on  chick- 
ens, birds,  hares  and  other  animals.  It  is  also  said  to  catch  fish 
during  the  night;  and  that  the  noise  of  its  plunging  into  the 
water  is  heard  at  a  great  distance.  But  in  the  descriptions  of 
these  writers  this  bird  has  been  so  frequently  confounded  with 
the  Osprey,  as  to  leave  little  doubt  that  the  habits  and  manners 
of  the  one  have  been  often  attributed  to  both;  and  others  added 
that  are  common  to  neither. 


62  SEA  EAGLE. 

NOTE — In  Wilson's  history  of  the  Bald  Eagle,  he  confident- 
ly asserts  that  it  is  the  same  species  as  the  Sea  Eagle,  in  a  dif- 
erent  stage  of  colour.  In  his  account  of  the  latter,  he  adduces 
additional  reasons  for  his  belief,  which  is  at  variance  with  the 
opinions  of  some  of  the  most  respectable  naturalists  of  Europe. 
We  have  no  hesitation,  from  our  own  experience,  in  pronounc- 
ing these  birds  to  be  the  same;  and  deem  it  unnecessary  to  add 
any  thing  further  on  the  subject,  as  the  reasoning  of  Wilson  is 
conclusive. 

Our  author  describes  an  Eagle's  nest,  which  he  visited,  in 
company  with  the  writer  of  this  article,  on  the  eighteenth  of 
May,  1812.  It  was  then  empty;  but  from  every  appearance  a 
brood  had  been  hatched  and  reared  in  it  that  season.  The  fol- 
lowing year,  on  the  first  day  of  March,  a  friend  of  ours  took 
from  the  same  nest  three  eggs,  the  largest  of  which  measured 
three  inches  and  a  quarter  in  length,  two  and  a  quarter  in  di- 
ameter, upwards  of  seven  in  circumference,  and  weighed  four 
ounces  five  drams,  apothecaries  weight;  the  colour  a  dirty  yel- 
lowish white — one  was  of  a  very  pale  bluish  white;  the  young 
were  perfectly  formed.  Such  was  the  solicitude  of  the  female 
to  preserve  her  eggs,  that  she  did  not  abandon  the  nest,  until 
several  blows,  with  an  axe,  had  been  given  the  tree. 

In  the  history  of  Lewis  and  Clark's  Expedition,  we  find  the 
following  account  of  an  Eagle's  nest,  which  must  have  added 
not  a  little  to  the  picturesque  effect  of  the  magnificent  scenery 
at  the  Falls  of  the  Missouri: 

"  Just  below  the  upper  pitch  is  a  little  island  in  the  middle 
of  the  river,  well  covered  with  timber.  Here  on  a  cottonWood 
tree  an  Eagle  had  fixed  its  nest,  and  seemed  the  undisputed 
mistress  of  a  spot,  to  contest  whose  dominion  neither  man  nor 
beast  would  venture  across  the  gulfs  that  surround  it,  and  which 
is  further  secured  by  the  mist  rising  from  the  falls."* 

The  Bald  Eagle  was  observed,  by  Lewis  and  Clark,  during 
their  whole  route  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

*  Hist,  of  the  Exped.  vol.  i,  p.  264. 


SEA  EAGLE.  63 

It  may  gratify  some  of  our  readers  to  be  informed,  that  the 
opinion  of  Temminck  coincides  with  ours  respecting  the  iden- 
tity of  our  Bald  and  Sea  Eagles;  but  he  states  that  the  Falco 
ossifragus  of  Gmelin,  the  Sea  Eagle  of  Latham,  is  the  young 
of  the  Falco  albicilla,  which  in  its  first  year  so  much  resembles 
the  yearling  of  the  leucocephalus,  that  it  is  very  difficult  to 
distinguish  them. — Note  by  Mr.  Ord. 


SPECIES  5.     FrfLCO  FULVUS. 

RING-TAIL  EAGLE. 
[Plate  LV.— Fig.  1,  young  bird.] 

LINN.  Syst.  ed.  10,  p.  88. — Black  Eagle,  Jlrct.  Zool.  p.  195,  JVo. 
87.— LATH,  i,  32,  JVo.  6.—  White-tailed  JSaglc^DW.  i,  1  .--L'Jligle 
Commun,  BUFF,  i,  86.  PL  Enl.  409. — BEWICK,  i,p.  49. — PKALE'S 
Museum,  «7Vo.  84;  «7Vo.  85,  young. 

THE  reader  is  now  presented  with  a  portrait  of  this  celebrated 
Eagle,  drawn  from  a  fine  specimen  shot  in  the  county  of  Mont- 
gomery, Pennsylvania.  The  figure  here  given,  though  reduced 
to  one-third  the  size  of  life,  is  strongly  characteristic  of  its 
original.  With  respect  to  the  habits  of  the  species,  such  partic- 
ulars only  shall  be  selected  as  are  well  authenticated,  rejecting 
whatever  seems  vague,  or  savours  too  much  of  the  marvellous. 

This  noble  bird,  in  strength,  spirit  and  activity,  ranks  among 
the  first  of  its  tribe.  It  is  found,  though  sparingly  dispersed, 
over  the  whole  temperate  and  arctic  regions,  particularly  the 
latter;  breeding  on  high  precipitous  rocks;  always  preferring  a 
mountainous  country.  In  its  general  appearance  it  has  great 
resemblance  to  the  Golden  Eagle,  from  which,  however,  it 
differs  in  being  rather  less;  as  also  in  the  colours  and  markings 
of  the  tail;  and,  as  it  is  said,  in  being  less  noisy.  When  young, 
the  colour  of  the  body  is  considerably  lighter,  but  deepens  into 
a  blackish  brown  as  it  advances  in  age. 

The  tail  feathers  of  this  bird  are  highly  valued  by  the  various 
tribes  of  American  Indians,  for  ornamenting  their  calumets,  or 
Pipes  of  Peace.  Several  of  these  pipes,  which  were  brought 
from  the  remote  regions  of  Louisiana  by  captain  Lewis,  are 
now  deposited  in  Peale's  Museum,  each  of  which  has  a  number 
of  the  tail  feathers  of  this  bird  attached  to  it.  The  Northern  as 
well  as  Southern  Indians  seem  to  follow  the  like  practice,  as 


RING-TAIL  EAGLE.  65 

appears  by  the  numerous  calumets,  formerly  belonging  to  diffe- 
rent tribes,  to  be  seen  in  the  same  magnificent  collection. 

Pennant  informs  us,  that  the  independent  Tartars  train  this 
Eagle  for  the  chase  of  hares,  foxes,  wolves,  antelopes,  &c.  and 
that  they  esteem  the  feathers  of  the  tail  the  best  for  pluming 
their  arrows.  The  Ring-tail  Eagle  is  characterized  by  all  as  a 
generous  spirited  and  docile  bird;  and  various  extraordinary 
incidents  are  related  of  it  by  different  writers,  not,  however, 
sufficiently  authenticated  to  deserve  repetition.  The  truth  is, 
the  solitary  habits  of  the  Eagle  now  before  us,  the  vast  inacces- 
sible cliffs  to  which  it  usually  retires,  united  with  the  scarcity 
of  the  species  in  those  regions  inhabited  by  man,  all  combine 
to  render  a  particular  knowledge  of  its  manners  very  difficult 
to  be  obtained.  The  author  has,  once  or  twice,  observed  this 
bird  sailing  along  the  alpine  declivities  of  the  White  mountains 
of  New  Hampshire,  early  in  October,  and  again,  over  the  High- 
lands of  Hudson's  river,  not  far  from  West  Point.  Its  flight  was 
easy,  in  high  circuitous  sweeps,  its  broad  white  tail,  tipped 
with  brown,  expanded  like  a  fan.  Near  the  settlements  on 
Hudson's  Bay  it  is  more  common;  and  is  said  to  prey  on  hares, 
and  the  various  species  of  Grous  which  abound  there.  Buffon 
observes,  that  though  other  Eagles  also  prey  upon  hares,  this 
species  is  a  more  fatal  enemy  to  those  timid  animals,  which  are 
the  constant  object  of  their  search,  and  the  prey  which  they 
prefer.  The  Latins,  after  Pliny,  termed  the  Eagle  Valeria, 
quasi  valens  viribus,  because  of  its  strength,  which  appears 
greater  than  that  of  the  other  Eagles  in  proportion  to  its  size. 

The  Ring-tail  Eagle  measures  nearly  three  feet  in  length;  the 
bill  is  of  a  brownish  horn  colour;  the  cere,  sides  of  the  mouth 
and  feet  yellow;  iris  of  the  eye  reddish  hazel,  the  eye  turned 
considerably  forwards;  eyebrow  remarkably  prominent,  pro- 
jecting over  the  eye,  and  giving  a  peculiar  sternness  to  the  as- 
pect of  the  bird;  the  crown  is  flat;  the  plumage  of  the  head, 
throat  and  neck,  long  and  pointed ;  that  on  the  upper  part  of  the 
head  and  neck  very  pale  ferruginous;  fore  part  of  the  crown 
black;  all  the  pointed  feathers  are  shafted  with  black;  whole 

VGL.  i. — L  1 


66  RING-TAIL  EAGLE. 

upper  parts  dark  blackish  brown;  wings  black;  tail  rounded, 
long,  of  a  white  or  pale  cream  colour,  minutely  sprinkled  with 
specks  of  ash  and  dusky,  and  ending  in  a  broad  band  of  deep 
dark  brown,  of  nearly  one-third  its  length;  chin,  cheeks  and 
throat,  black;  whole  lower  parts  a  deep  dark  brown,  except  the 
vent  and  inside  of  the  thighs,  which  are  white,  stained  with 
brown;  legs  thickly  covered  to  the  feet  with  brownish  white 
down  or  feathers;  claws  black,  very  large,  sharp  and  formida- 
ble, the  hind  one  full  two  inches  long. 

The  Ring-tail  Eagle  is  found  in  Russia,  Switzerland,  Ger- 
many, France,  Scotland,  and  the  northern  parts  of  America. 
As  Marco  Polo,  in  his  description  of  the  customs  of  the  Tar- 
tars, seems  to  allude  to  this  species,  it  may  be  said  to  inhabit 
the  whole  circuit  of  the  arctic  regions  of  the  globe.  The  Golden 
Eagle,  on  the  contrary,  is  said  to  be  found  only  in  the  more 
warm  and  temperate  countries  of  the  ancient  continent*  Later 
discoveries,  however,  have  ascertained  it  to  be  also  an  inhabi- 
tant of  the  United  States.! 

*  BUFFON,  vol.  i,  p.  56,  Trans. 

f  Naturalists  being  now  of  opinion  that  the  Ring-tailed  Eagle  and  the  Golden 
Eagle  are  the  same,  we  add  the  following  synonymes: — Yellow-headed  Eagle, 
drct.  Zool.  JVb.  86.  D.— Golden  Eagle,  LATH.  Syn.  1,  31,  JVb.  5.— PI.  Enl  410. 
— Falco  fulvus,  Ind.  Orn  i,  JVb.  4;  F.  chrysa'etos,  Id.  No.  8;  /'.  melanonotus,  /eJ. 
JVb.  26;  F.  melanoeetus,  Id.  JVb.  3.— rfigle  royal,  TEMM.  Man  d'Orn.  i,  j>.  3&. 


SPECIES  6.     FrfLCO  HALIJETUS. 

FISH-HAWK,  OR  OSPREY. 

[Plate  XXX VII. —Fig.  1.] 

Carolina  Osprey,  LATH.  Syn.  i,  p.  46,  No.  26,  Jl. — Falco  piscator, 
BHISS.  i,  p.  361,  No.  14;  362,  No.  15. — Faucon  pecheur  de  la 
Caroline,  BUFF.  i,p.  142. — Fishing  Hawk,  CATESB.  Car.  i,  p. 
2. — Falco  Carolinensis,  GMEL.  Syst.  i,  p.  263,  No.  26.  PEALE'S 
Museum,  No.  144.* 

THIS  formidable,  vigorous-winged,  and  well-known  bird,  sub- 
sists altogether  on  the  finny  tribes  that  swarm  in  our  bays, 
creeks,  and  rivers;  procuring  his  prey  by  his  own  active  skill 
and  industry;  and  seeming  no  farther  dependent  on  the  land 
than  as  a  mere  resting  place,  or  in  the  usual  season,  a  spot  of 
deposite  for  his  nest,  eggs  and  young.  The  figure  here  given 
is  reduced  to  one-third  the  size  of  life,  to  correspond  with  that 
of  the  Bald  Eagle,  his  common  attendant,  and  constant  plun- 
derer. 

The  Fish-Hawk  is  migratory;  arriving  on  the  coasts  of  New 
York  and  New  Jersey  about  the  twenty-first  of  March,  and  re- 
tiring to  the  south  about  the  twenty-second  of  September. 
Heavy  equinoctial  storms  may  vary  these  periods  of  arrival 
and  departure  a  few  days;  but  long  observation  has  ascertained, 
that  they  are  kept  with  remarkable  regularity.  On  the  arrival 
of  these  birds  in  the  northern  parts  of  the  United  States,  in 
March,  they  sometimes  find  the  bays  and  ponds  frozen,  and  ex- 
perience a  difficulty  in  procuring  fish  for  many  days.  Yet 
there  is  no  instance  on  record  of  their  attacking  birds,  or  infe- 
rior land  animals,  with  intent  to  feed  upon  them;  though  their 
great  strength  of  flight,  as  well  of  feet  and  claws,  would  seem 

*  The  following  synonymes  may  be  added:  Le  Balbuzard,  BUFF.  PI.  Enl 
414.  Apulia  jnscatrix  Vieillot  Ois,  del' Am.  Sept:  v.i,  p.  29, pi.  4. 


68  FISH-HAWK,  OR  OSPREY. 

to  render  this  no  difficult  matter.  But  they  no  sooner  arrive, 
than  they  wage  war  on  the  Bald  Eagles,  as  against  a  horde  of 
robbers  and  banditti;  sometimes  succeeding,  by  force  of  num- 
bers and  perseverance,  in  driving  them  from  their  haunts;  but 
seldom  or  never  attacking  them  in  single  combat. 

The  first  appearance  of  the  Fish-Hawk  in  spring,  is  welcom- 
ed by  the  fishermen,  as  the  happy  signal  of  the  approach  of 
those  vast  shoals  of  herring,  shad,  &c.  &c.,  that  regularly  arrive 
on  our  coasts,  and  enter  our  rivers  in  such  prodigious  multi- 
tudes. Two  of  a  trade,  it  is  said,  seldom  agree;  the  adage, 
however,  will  not  hold  good  in  the  present  case,  for  such  is  the 
respect  paid  the  Fish-hawk  not  only  by  this  class  of  men,  but 
generally,  by  the  whole  neighbourhood  where  it  resides,  that 
a  person  who  should  attempt  to  shoot  one  of  them,  would  stand 
a  fair  chance  of  being  insulted.  This  prepossession  in  favour 
of  the  Fish-hawk  is  honourable  to  their  feelings.  They  asso- 
ciate with  its  first  appearance  ideas  of  plenty,  and  all  the  gaiety 
of  business;  they  see  it  active  and  industrious  like  themselves; 
inoffensive  to  the  productions  of  their  farms;  building  with  con- 
fidence, and  without  the  least  disposition  to  concealment,  in 
the  middle  of  their  fields,  and  along  their  fences;  and  returning 
year  after  year  regularly  to  its  former  abode. 

The  nest  of  the  Fish-Hawk  is  usually  built  on  the  top  of  a 
dead  or  decaying  tree,  sometimes  not  more  than  fifteen,  often 
upwards  of  fifty  feet,  from  the  ground.  It  has  been  remarked 
by  the  people  of  the  seacoasts,  that  the  most  thriving  tree  will 
die  in  a  few  years,  after  being  taken  possession  of  by  the  Fish- 
Hawk.  This  is  attributed  to  the  fish-oil,  and  to  the  excrements 
of  the  bird ;  but  is  more  probably  occasioned  by  the  large  heap 
of  wet,  salt  materials,  of  which  it  is  usually  composed.  In  my 
late  excursions  to  the  seashore  I  ascended  to  several  of  these 
nests,  that  had  been  built  in  from  year  to  year,  and  found  them 
constructed  as  follows:  externally  large  sticks,  from  half  an 
inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter,  and  two  or  three  feet  in 
length,  piled  to  the  height  of  four  or  five  feet,  and  from  two  to 
three  feet  in  breadth;  these  were  intermixed  with  corn-stalks, 


FISH-HAWK,  OR  OSPREY.  69 

sea-weed,  pieces  of  wet  turf  in  large  quantities,  mullein-stalks, 
and  lined  with  dry  sea-grass;  the  whole  forming  a  mass  very 
observable  at  half  a  mile's  distance,  and  large  enough  to  fill  a 
cart,  and  form  no  inconsiderable  load  for  a  horse.  These  ma- 
terials are  so  well  put  together,  as  often  to  adhere  in  large  frag- 
ments after  being  blown  down  by  the  wind.  My  learned  and 
obliging  correspondent  of  New  York,  Dr.  Samuel  L.  Mitchill, 
observes,  that  "A  sort  of  superstition  is  entertained  in  regard 
to  the  Fish-Hawk.  It  has  been  considered  a  fortunate  incident 
to  have  a  nest,  and  a  pair  of  these  birds,  on  one's  farm.  They 
have  therefore  been  generally  respected;  and  neither  the  axe 
nor  the  gun  has  been  lifted  against  them.  Their  nest  continues 
from  year  to  year.  The  same  couple,  or  another  as  the  case 
may  be,  occupies  it  season  after  season.  Repairs  are  duly  made, 
or  when  demolished  by  storms  it  is  industriously  rebuilt. 
There  was  one  of  these  nests,  formerly,  upon  the  leafless  sum- 
mit of  a  venerable  chesnut-tree  on  our  farm,  directly  in  front 
of  the  house,  at  the  distance  of  less  than  half  a  mile.  The 
withered  trunk  and  boughs,  surmounted  by  the  coarse  wrought 
and  capacious  nest,  was  a  more  picturesque  object  than  an  obe- 
lisk. And  the  flights  of  the  Hawks  as  they  went  forth  to  hunt 
— returned  with  their  game — exercised  themselves  in  wheeling 
round  and  round  and  circling  about  it,  were  amusing  to  the  be- 
holder almost  from  morning  to  night.  The  family  of  these 
Hawks,  old  and  young,  was  killed  by  the  Hessian  Jagers.  A 
succeeding  pair  took  possession  of  the  nest;  but  in  the  course 
of  time,  the  prongs  of  the  trunk  so  rotted  away,  that  the  nest 
could  no  longer  be  supported.  The  Hawks  have  been  obliged 
to  seek  new  quarters.  We  have  lost  this  part  of  our  prospect; 
and  our  trees  have  not  afforded  a  convenient  site  for  one  of  their 
habitations  since." 

About  the  first  of  May  the  female  Fish-Hawk  begins  to  lay 
her  eggs,  which  are  commonly  three  in  number,  sometimes 
only  two,  and  rarely  four.  They  are  somewhat  larger  than 
those  of  the  common  hen,  and  nearly  of  the  same  shape.  The 
ground  colour  varies,  in  different  eggs,  from  a  reddish  cream, 


70  FISH-HAWK,   OR  OSPREY. 

to  nearly  a  white,  splashed  and  daubed  all  over  with  dark 
Spanish  brown,  as  if  done  by  art.  *  During  the  time  the  female 
is  sitting,  the  male  frequently  supplies  her  with  fish;  though 
she  occasionally  takes  a  short  circuit  to  sea  herself,  but  quickly 
returns  again.  The  attention  of  the  male,  on  such  occasions, 
is  regulated  by  the  circumstances  of  the  case.  A  pair  of  these 
birds,  on  the  south  side  of  Great  Egg-harbour  river,  and  near 
its  mouth,  were  noted  for  several  years.  The  female  having 
but  one  leg  was  regularly  furnished,  while  sitting,  with  fish  in 
such  abundance,  that  she  seldom  left  the  nest,  and  never  to 
seek  for  food.  This  kindness  was  continued  both  before  and 
after  incubation.  Some  animals  who  claim  the  name  and  ra- 
tionality of  man  might  blush  at  the  recital  of  this  fact. 

On  the  appearance  of  the  young,  which  is  usually  about  the 
last  of  June,  the  zeal  and  watchfulness  of  the  parents  are  ex- 
treme. They  stand  guard,  and  go  off  to  fish,  alternately;  one 
parent  being  always  within  a  short  distance  of  the  nest.  On 
the  near  approach  of  any  person,  the  Hawk  utters  a  plaintive 
whistling  note,  which  becomes  shriller  as  she  takes  to  wing, 
and  sails  around,  sometimes  making  a  rapid  descent,  as  if  aim- 
ing directly  for  you;  but  checking  her  course  and  sweeping 
past  at  a  short  distance  over  head,  her  wings  making  a  loud 
whizzing  in  the  air.  My  worthy  friend  Mr.  Gardiner  informs 
me,  that  they  have  even  been  known  to  fix  their  claws  in  a  ne- 
gro's head,  who  was  attempting  to  climb  to  their  nest;  and  I 

*  Of  the  palatableness  of  these  eggs  I  cannot  speak  from  personal  expe- 
rience; but  the  following  incident  will  show  that  the  experiment  has  actually 
been  made.  A  country  fellow,  near  Cape  May,  on  his  way  to  a  neighbour- 
ing tavern,  passing  a  tree  on  which  was  a  Fish-Hawk's  nest,  immediately 
mounted  and  robbed  it  of  the  only  egg  it  contained,  which  he  carried  with 
him  to  the  tavern,  and  desired  the  landlord  to  make  it  into  egg-nogg.  The  ta- 
vern-keeper, after  a  few  wry  faces,  complied  with  his  request,  and  the  fellow 
swallowed  the  cordial;  but,  whether  from  its  effects  on  the  olfactory  nerves 
(for  he  said  it  smelt  abominably)  the  imagination,  or  on  the  stomach  alone, 
is  uncertain,  it  operated  as  a  most  outrageous  emetic,  and  cured  the  man,  for 
that  time  at  least,  of  his  thirst  for  egg-nogg.  What  is  rather  extraordinary, 
the  landlord  (Mr.  Beasley)  assured  me,  that  to  all  appearance  the  egg  was 
perfectly  fresh. 


FISH-HAWK,  OR  OSPREY.  71 

had  lately  a  proof  of  their  daring  spirit  in  this  way,  through 
the  kindness  of  a  friend,  resident  for  a  few  weeks  at  Great 
Egg-harbour.  I  had  requested  of  him  the  favour  to  transmit 
me,  if  possible,  a  live  Fish-Hawk,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
a  drawing  of  it,  which  commission  he  very  faithfully  executed; 
and  I  think  I  cannot  better  illustrate  this  part  of  the  bird's 
character  than  by  quoting  his  letter  at  large. 

"  Beasley's,  Great  Egg-Harbour,  June,  30th,   1811. 
"  SIR, 

"  Mr.  Beasley  and  I  went  to  reconnoitre  a  Fish-Hawk's 
nest  on  Thursday  afternoon.  When  I  was  at  the  nest  I  was 
struck  with  so  great  violence,  on  the  crown  of  the  hat,  that  I 
thought  a  hole  was  made  in  it.  I  had  ascended  fearlessly,  and 
never  dreamt  of  being  attacked.  I  came  down  quickly.  There 
were  in  the  nest  three  young  ones  about  the  size  of  pullets, 
which,  though  full  feathered,  were  unable  to  fly.  On  Friday 
morning  I  went  again  to  the  nest  to  get  a  young  one,  which  I 
thought  I  could  nurse  to  a  considerable  growth,  sufficient  to 
answer  your  purpose,  if  I  should  fail  to  procure  an  old  one, 
which  was  represented  to  me  as  almost  impossible,  on  account 
of  his  shyness,  and  the  danger  from  his  dreadful  claws.  On 
taking  a  young  one  I  intended  to  lay  a  couple  of  snares  in  the 
nest,  for  which  purpose  I  had  a  strong  cord  in  my  pocket.  The 
old  birds  were  on  the  tree  when  captain  H.  and  I  approached 
it.  As  a  defence,  profiting  by  the  experience  of  yesterday,  I 
took  a  walking  stick  with  me.  When  I  was  about  half  up  the 
tree,  the  bird  I  send  you  struck  at  me  repeatedly  with  violence; 
he  flew  round  in  a  small  circle,  darting  at  me  at  every  circuit, 
and  I  striking  at  him.  Observing  that  he  always  described 
a  circle  in  the  air,  before  he  came  at  me,  I  kept  a  hawk's  eye 
upon  him,  and  the  moment  he  passed  me,  I  availed  myself  of 
the  opportunity  to  ascend.  When  immediately  under  the  nest, 
I  hesitated  at  the  formidable  opposition  I  met,  as  his  rage  ap- 
peared to  increase  with  my  presumption  in  invading  his  prem- 
ises. But  I  mounted  to  the  nest.  At  that  moment  he  darted  di- 
rectly at  me  with  all  his  force,  whizzing  through  the  air;  his 


72  FISH-HAWK,  OR  OSPREY. 

choler  apparently  redoubled.  Fortunately  for  me,  I  struck  him 
on  the  extreme  joint  of  the  right  wing  with  my  stick,  which 
brought  him  to  the  ground.  During  this  contest  the  female  was 
flying  round  and  round  at  a  respectful  distance,  captain  H.  held 
him  till  I  tied  my  handkerchief  about  his  legs;  the  captain  felt 
the  effect  of  his  claws.  I  brought  away  a  young  one  to  keep  the 
old  one  in  a  good  humour.  I  put  them  in  a  very  large  coop;  the 
young  one  ate  some  fish,  when  broken  and  put  into  its  throat; 
but  the  old  one  would  not  eat  for  two  days.  He  continued  sul- 
len and  obstinate,  hardly  changing  his  position.  He  walks  about 
now,  and  is  approached  without  danger;  he  takes  very  little  no- 
tice of  the  young  one.  A  Joseph  Smith,  working  in  the  field 
where  this  nest  is,  had  the  curiosity  to  go  up  to  look  at  the 
eggs;  the  bird  clawed  his  face  in  a  shocking  manner;  his  eye 
had  a  narrow  escape.  I  am  told  that  it  has  never  been  considered 
dangerous  to  approach  a  Hawk's  nest.  If  this  be  so,  this  bird's 
character  is  peculiar;  his  affection  for  his  young,  and  his  valiant 
opposition  to  an  invasion  of  his  nest,  entitle  him  to  conspicuous 
notice.  He  is  the  Prince  of  Fish-Hawks;  his  character  and  his 
portrait  seem  worthy  of  being  handed  to  the  historic  muse.  A 
Hawk  more  worthy  of  the  honour  which  awaits  him  could  not 
have  been  found.  I  hope  no  accident  will  happen  to  him,  and 
that  he  may  fully  answer  your  purpose. 

"  Yours, 

"THOMAS  SMITH. 

"This  morning  the  female  was  flying  to  and  fro,  making  a 
mournful  noise." 

The  young  of  the  Fish-Hawk  are  remarkable  for  remaining 
long  in  the  nest  before  they  attempt  to  fly.  Mr.  Smith's  letter 
is  dated  June  30th,  at  which  time,  he  observes,  they  were  as 
large  as  pullets,  and  full  feathered.  Seventeen  days  after,  I  my- 
self ascended  to  this  same  Hawk's  nest,  where  I  found  the  two 
remaining  young  ones  seemingly  full  grown.  They  made  no 
attempts  to  fly,  though  they  both  placed  themselves  in  a  stern 
posture  of  defence,  as  I  examined  them  at  my  leisure.  The  fe- 
male had  procured  a  second  helpmate;  but  he  did  not  seem  to 


FISH-HAWK,  OR  OSPREY.  73 

inherit  the  spirit  of  his  predecessor,  for  like  a  true  step-father, 
he  left  the  nest  at  my  approach,  and  sailed  about  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance with  his  mate,  who  showed  great  anxiety  and  distress  du- 
ring the  whole  of  my  visit.  It  is  universally  asserted  by  the 
people  of  the  neighbourhood  where  these  birds  breed,  that  the 
young  remain  so  long,  before  they  fly,  that  the  parents  are 
obliged  at  last  to  compel  them  to  shift  for  themselves,  beating 
them  with  their  wings,  and  driving  them  from  the  nest.  But 
that  they  continue  to  assist  them  even  after  this,  I  know  to  be  a 
fact  from  my  own  observation,  as  I  have  seen  the  young  bird 
meet  its  parent  in  the  air,  and  receive  from  him  the  fish  he 
carried  in  his  claws. 

The  flight  of  the  Fish-Hawk,  his  manoeuvres  while  in  search 
of  fish,  and  his  manner  of  seizing  his  prey,  are  deserving  of 
particular  notice.  In  leaving  the  nest  he  usually  flies  direct  till 
he  comes  to  the  sea,  then  sails  around  in  easy  curving  lines, 
turning  sometimes  in  the  air  as  on  a  pivot,  apparently  without 
the  least  exertion,  rarely  moving  the  wings,  his  legs  extended 
in  a  straight  line  behind,  and  his  remarkable  length  and  curva- 
ture or  bend  of  wing,  distinguishing  him  from  all  other  Hawks. 
The  height  at  which  he  thus  elegantly  glides  is  various,  from 
one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty,  and  two  hundred  feet, 
sometimes  much  higher,  all  the  while  calmly  reconnoitring  the 
face  of  the  deep  below.  Suddenly  he  is  seen  to  check  his  course, 
as  if  struck  by  a  particular  object,  which  he  seems  to  survey 
for  a  few  moments  with  such  steadiness  that  he  appears  fixed 
in  air,  flapping  his  wings.  This  object  however  he  abandons,  or 
rather  the  fish  he  had  in  his  eye  has  disappeared,  and  he  is 
again  seen  sailing  around  as  before.  Now  his  attention  is  again 
arrested,  and  he  descends  with  great  rapidity ;  but  ere  he  reach- 
es the  surface,  shoots  off  on  another  course,  as  if  ashamed  that 
a  second  victim  had  escaped  him.  He  now  sails  at  a  short 
height  above  the  surface,  and  by  a  zig-zag  descent  and  without 
seeming  to  dip  his  feet  in  the  water,  seizes  a  fish,  which  after 
carrying  a  short  distance,  he  probably  drops,  or  yields  up  to 
the  Bald  Eagle,  and  again  ascends  by  easy  spiral  circles,  to  the 

VOL.  i. — M  m 


74  FISH-HAWK,  OR  OSPREY. 

higher  regions  of  the  air,  where  he  glides  about  in  all  the  ease 
and  majesty  of  his  species.     At  once  from  this  sublime  aerial 
height  he  descends  like  a  perpendicular  torrent,  plunging  into 
the  sea  with  a  loud  rushing  sound,  and  with  the  certainty  of  a 
rifle.  In  a  few  moments  he  emerges,  bearing  in  his  claws  his 
struggling  prey,  which  he  always  carries  head  foremost;  and 
having  risen  a  few  feet  above  the  surface,  shakes  himself  as  a 
water  spaniel  would  do,  and  directs  his  heavy  and  laborious 
course  directly  for  the  land.  If  the  wind  blow  hard,   and  his 
nest  lie  in  the  quarter  from  whence  it  comes,  it  is  amusing  to 
observe  with  what  judgment  and  exertion  he  beats  to  windward, 
not  in  a  direct  line,  that  is,  in  the  wind's  eye,  but  making  several 
successive  tacks  to  gain  his  purpose.  This  will  appear  the  more 
striking,  when  we  consider  the  size  of  the  fish  which  he  some- 
times bears  along.    A  shad  was  taken  from  a  Fish-Hawk,  near 
Great  Egg-harbour,  on  which  he  had  begun  to  regale  himself, 
and  had  already  ate  a  considerable  portion  of  it,  the  remainder 
weighed  six  pounds.     Another  Fish-Hawk  was  passing  Mr. 
Beasley's,  at  the  same  place,  with  a  large  flounder  in  his  grasp, 
which  struggled  and  shook  him  so,  that  he  dropt  it  on  the  shore. 
The  flounder  was  picked  up,  and  served  the  whole  family  for 
dinner.  It  is  singular  that  the  Hawk  never  descends  to  pick  up 
a  fish  which  he  happens  to  drop,  either  on  the  land  or  on  the 
water.    There  is  a  kind  of  abstemious  dignity  in  this  habit  of 
the  Hawk,  superior  to  the  gluttonous   voracity  displayed  by 
most  other  birds  of  prey,  particularly  by  the  Bald  Eagle,  whose 
piratical  robberies  committed  on  the  present  species  have  been 
already  fully  detailed  in  treating  of  his  history.     The  Hawk, 
however,  in  his  fishing  pursuits,  sometimes  mistakes  his  mark, 
or  overrates  his  strength,  by  striking  fish  too  large  and  power- 
ful for  him  to  manage,  by  whom  he  is  suddenly  dragged  under; 
and  though  he  sometimes  succeeds  in  extricating  himself,  after 
being  taken  three  or  four  times  down,  yet  oftener  both  parties 
perish.    The  bodies  of  sturgeon,  and  several  other  large  fish, 
with  that  of  the  Fish-Hawk  fast  grappled  in  them,  have  at  dif- 
ferent times  been  found  dead  on  the  shore,  cast  up  by  the  waves. 


i 


FISH-HAWK,  OR  OSPREY.  75 

The  Fish-Hawk  is  doubtless  the  most  numerous  of  all  its  ge- 
nus within  the  United  States.  It  penetrates  far  into  the  interior 
of  the  country  up  our  large  rivers,  and  their  head  waters.  It 
may  be  said  to  line  the  seacoast  from  Georgia  to  Canada.  In 
some  parts  I  have  counted,  at  one  view,  more  than  twenty  of 
their  nests  within  half  a  mile.  Mr.  Gardiner  informs  me,  that 
on  the  small  island  on  which  he  resides,  there  are  at  least 
"three  hundred  nests  of  Fish-Hawks  that  have  young,  which, 
on  an  average,  consume  probably  not  less  than  six  hundred  fish 
daily."  Before  they  depart  in  the  autumn  they  regularly  repair 
their  nests,  carrying  up  sticks,  sods,  &c.  fortifying  them  against 
the  violence  of  the  winter  storms,  which,  from  this  circumstance, 
they  would  seem  to  foresee  and  expect.  But,  notwithstanding 
all  their  precautions,  they  frequently,  on  their  return  in  spring, 
find  them  lying  in  ruins  around  the  roots  of  the  tree;  and  some- 
times the  tree  itself  has  shared  the  same  fate.  When  a  number 
of  Hawks,  to  the  amount  of  twenty  or  upwards,  collect  together 
on  one  tree,  making  a  loud  squeeling  noise,  there  is  generally 
a  nest  built  soon  after  on  the  same  tree.  Probably  this  congres- 
sional assembly  were  settling  the  right  of  the  new  pair  to  the 
premises;  or  it  might  be  a  kind  of  wedding,  or  joyous  festive 
meeting  on  the  occasion.  They  are  naturally  of  a  mild  and 
peaceable  disposition,  living  together  in  great  peace  and  har- 
mony; for  though  with  them,  as  in  the  best  regulated  commu- 
nities, instances  of  attack  and  robbery  occur  among  themselves, 
yet  these  instances  are  extremely  rare.  Mr.  Gardiner  observes 
that  they  are  sometimes  seen  high  in  the  air,  sailing  and  cutting 
strange  gambols,  with  loud  vociferations,  darting  down  several 
hundred  feet  perpendicular,  frequently  with  part  of  a  fish  in 
one  claw,  which  they  seem  proud  of,  and  to  claim  high  hooky 
as  the  fishermen  call  him  who  takes  the  greatest  number.  On 
these  occasions  they  serve  as  a  barometer  to  foretel  the  changes 
of  the  atmosphere;  for  when  the  Fish-Hawks  are  seen  thus, 
sailing  high  in  air,  in  circles,  it  is  universally  believed  to  prog- 
nosticate a  change  of  weather,  often  a  thunder  storm,  in  a  few 
hours.  On  the  faith  of  the  certainty  of  these  signs,  the  expe- 


76  FISH-HAWK,  OR  OSPREY. 

rienced  coaster  wisely  prepares  for  the  expected  storm,  and  is 
rarely  mistaken. 

There  is  one  singular  trait  in  the  character  of  this  bird,  which 
will  be  mentioned  in  treating  of  the  Purple  Grakle,  and  which 
I  have  had  many  opportunities  of  witnessing.  The  Grakles, 
or  Crow  Blackbirds,  are  permitted  by  the  Fish-Hawk  to  build 
their  nests  among  the  interstices  of  the  sticks  of  which  his  own 
is  constructed.  Several  pair  of  Grakles  taking  up  their  abode 
there,  like  humble  vassals  around  the  castle  of  their  chief,  lay- 
ing, hatching  their  young,  and  living  together  in  mutual  har- 
mony. I  have  found  no  less  than  four  of  these  nests  clustered 
around  the  sides  of  the  former,  and  a  fifth  fixed  on  the  nearest 
branch  of  the  adjoining  tree;  as  if  the  proprietor  of  this  last, 
unable  to  find  an  unoccupied  corner  on  the  premises,  had  been 
anxious  to  share  as  much  as  possible  the  company  and  protec- 
tion of  this  generous  bird. 

The  Fish-Hawk  is  twenty-two  inches  in  length,  and  five  feet 
three  inches  in  extent;  the  bill  is  deep  black,  the  upper  as  well 
as  lower  cere,  (for  the  base  of  the  lower  mandible  has  a  loose 
moveable  skin)  and  also  the  sides  of  the  mouth,  from  the  nos- 
trils backwards,  are  light  blue;  crown  and  hind-head  pure  white, 
front  streaked  with  brown;  through  the  eye  a  bar  of  dark  black- 
ish brown  passes  to  the  neck  behind,  which,  as  well  as  the  whole 
upper  parts,  is  deep  brown,  the  edges  of  the  feathers  lighter; 
shafts  of  the  wing  quills  brownish  white;  tail  slightly  rounded, 
of  rather  a  paler  brown  than  the  body,  crossed  with  eight  bars 
of  very  dark  brown;  the  wings  when  shut  extend  about  an  inch 
beyond  the  tail,  and  are  nearly  black  towards  the  tips;  the  inner 
vanes  of  both  quill  and  tail  feathers  are  whitish,  barred  with 
brown ;  whole  lower  parts  pure  white,  except  the  thighs,  which 
are  covered  with  short  plumage,  and  streaked  down  the  fore 
part  with  pale  brown ;  the  legs  and  feet  are  a  very  pale  light 
blue,  prodigiously  strong  and  disproportionably  large,  they  are 
covered  with  flat  scales  of  remarkable  strength  and  thickness, 
resembling  when  dry  the  teeth  of  a  large  rasp,  particularly  on 
the  soles,  intended  no  doubt  to  enable  the  bird  to  seize  with 


FISH-HAWK,  OR  OSPREY.  77 

more  security  his  slippery  prey;  the  thighs  are  long,  the  legs 
short,  feathered  a  little  below  the  knee,  and  as  well  as  the  feet 
and  claws  large;  the  latter  hooked  into  semicircles,  black,  and 
very  sharp  pointed;  the  iris  of  the  eye  a  fiery  yellow  orange. 

The  female  is  full  two  inches  longer;  the  upper  part  of  the 
head  of  a  less  pure  white,  and  the  brown  streaks  on  the  front 
spreading  more  over  the  crown;  the  throat  and  upper  part  of 
the  breast  are  also  dashed  with  large  blotches  of  a  pale  brown, 
and  the  bar  passing  through  the  eye,  not  of  so  dark  a  brown. 
The  toes  of  both  are  exceedingly  strong  and  warty,  and  the 
hind  claw  a  full  inch  and  a  quarter  in  diameter.  The  feathers 
on  the  neck  and  hind-head  are  long  and  narrow,  and  generally 
erected  when  the  bird  is  irritated,  resembling  those  of  the  Ea- 
gle. The  eye  is  destitute  of  the  projecting  bone  common  to 
most  of  the  Falcon  tribe,  the  nostril  large,  and  of  a  curving 
triangular  shape.  On  dissection,  the  two  glands  on  the  rump, 
which  supply  the  bird  with  oil  for  lubricating  its  feathers,  to 
protect  them  from  the  wet,  were  found  to  be  remarkably  large, 
capable,  when  opened,  of  admitting  the  end  of  the  finger,  and 
contained  a  large  quantity  of  white  greasy  matter,  and  some 
pure  yellow  oil;  the  gall  was  in  small  quantity;  the  numerous 
convolutions  and  length  of  the  intestines  surprised  me;  when 
carefully  extended  they  measured  within  an  inch  or  two  of  nine 
feet,  and  were  no  thicker  than  those  of  a  Robin!  The  crop,  or 
craw,  was  middle  sized,  and  contained  a  nearly  dissolved  fish; 
the  stomach  was  a  large  oblong  pouch,  capable  of  considerable 
distension,  and  was  also  filled  with  half  digested  fish;  no  ap- 
pearance of  a  muscular  gizzard. 

By  the  descriptions  of  European  naturalists,  it  would  appear 
that  this  bird,  or  one  near  a-kin  to  it,  is  a  native  of  the  Eastern 
continent  in  summer,  as  far  north  as  Siberia;  the  Bald  Buzzard 
of  Turton  almost  exactly  agreeing  with  the  present  species  in 
size,  colour,  and  manners,  with  the  exception  of  its  breeding  or 
making  its  nest  among  the  reeds,  instead  of  on  trees.  Mr.  Be- 
wick, who  has  figured  and  described  the  female  of  this  bird, 
under  the  appellation  of  the  "Osprey,"  says,  "  that  it  builds 


78  FISH-HAWK,  OR  OSPREY. 

on  the  ground,  among  reeds,  and  lays  three  or  four  eggs  of  an 
elliptical  form,  rather  less  than  those  of  a  hen."  This  difference 
of  habit  may  be  owing  to  particular  local  circumstances,  such 
deviations  being  usual  among  many  of  our  native  birds.  The 
Italians  are  said  to  compare  its  descent  upon  the  water  to  a 
piece  of  lead  falling  upon  that  element;  and  distinguish  it  by 
the  name  of  Jlquila  piumbina^  or  the  Leaden  Eagle.  In  the 
United  States  it  is  every  where  denominated  the  Fish-Hawk, 
or  Fishing-Hawk,  a  name  truly  expressive  of  its  habits. 

The  regular  arrival  of  this  noted  bird  at  the  vernal  equinox, 
when  the  busy  season  of  fishing  commences,  adds  peculiar  in- 
terest to  its  first  appearance,  and  procures  it  many  a  benediction 
from  the  fishermen.  With  the  following  lines,  illustrative  of 
these  circumstances,  I  shall  conclude  its  history! 

Soon  as  the  Sun,  great  ruler  of  the  year! 
Bends  to  our  northern  climes  his  bright  career; 
And  from  the  caves  of  ocean  calls  from  sleep 
The  finny  shoals  and  myriads  of  the  deep; 
When  freezing  tempests  back  to  Greenland  ride; 
And  day  and  night  the  equal  hours  divide; 
True  to  the  season,  o'er  our  sea-beat  shore, 
The  sailing  Osprey  high  is  seen  to  soar, 
With  broad  unmoving  wing;  and,  circling  slow, 
Marks  each  loose  straggler  in  the  deep  below: 
Sweeps  down  like  lightning!  plunges  with  a  roar! 
And  bears  his  struggling  victim  to  the  shore. 

The  long-hous'd  fisherman  beholds  with  joy, 
The  well-known  signals  of  his  rough  employ; 
And,  as  he  bears  his  nets  and  oars  along, 
He  hails  the  welcome  season  with  a  song. 

Note- — The  Fish-Hawk  passes  the  winter  in  the  southern  parts 
of  the  United  States.  In  a  winter  voyage  among  the  sea-islands  of 
Georgia,  and  thence  into  East  Florida,  I  did  not  observe  these 
birds  until  I  reached  the  river  St.  John,  on  the  seventh  of  Feb- 
ruary. At  the  mouth  of  this  river,  which  is  noted  for  the 
abundance  of  its  fish,  the  Ospreys  are  very  numerous;  and  the 


FISH-HAWK,  OR  OSPREY.  79 

frequent  attacks  which  are  made  upon  them,  when  successful 
in  fishing,  by  the  piratical  Bald  Eagles,  afford  a  spectacle  of  no 
common  interest.  I  sometimes  took  notice,  that  when  the 
Fish-Hawk  was  likely  to  escape  from  a  single  enemy,  and  had 
wearied  his  pursuer  by  the  dexterity  of  his  manoeuvres,  a  fresh 
Eagle  joined  in  the  chase,  and  then  all  chance  of  escape  was 
hopeless. 

Wilson  states,  that  this  species,  on  the  coast  of  New  Jersey, 
commences  laying  about  the  first  of  May;  but  I  observed  it 
sitting,  in  East  Florida,  on  the  third  of  March.  The  weather 
was  then  warm:  Fahrenheit  being  at  80°  in  the  shade. — G.  Ord. 


. 


SPECIES  7.  FrfLCO  ATRICAPILLUS* 

ASH-COLOURED,  OR  BLACK-CAP  HAWK. 

[Plate  LIL— -Fig.  3.] 

PEALE'S  Museum, .No.  406. 

OF  this  beautiful  species  I  can  find  no  precise  description. 
The  Ash-coloured  Buzzard  of  Edwards  differs  so  much  from 
this,  particularly  in  wanting  the  fine  zig-zag  lines  below,  and 
the  black  cap,  that  I  cannot  for  a  moment  suppose  them  to  be 
the  same.  The  individual  from  which  the  drawing  was  made, 
is  faithfully  represented  in  the  plate,  reduced  to  one  half  its  na- 
tural dimensions.  This  bird  was  shot  within  a  few  miles  of 
Philadelphia,  and  is  now  preserved,  in  good  order,  in  Peale's 
museum. 

Its  general  make  and  aspect  denote  great  strength  and  spirit; 
its  legs  are  strong,  and  its  claws  of  more  than  proportionate 
size.  Should  any  other  specimen  or  variety  of  this  Hawk,  dif- 
fering from  the  present,  occur  during  the  publication  of  this 
work,  it  will  enable  me  more  accurately  to  designate  the  spe- 
cies. 

The  Black-cap  Hawk  is  twenty-one  inches  in  length;  the  bill 
and  cere  are  blue;  eye  reddish  amber;  crown  black,  bordered 
on  each  side  by  a  line  of  white,  finely  specked  with  black;  these 
lines  of  white  meet  on  the  hind-head;  whole  upper  parts  slate, 

*  Falco  Palumbarius,  LINN.  As  was  suspected  by  Wilson,  this  is  not  a  new 
species,  but  the  celebrated  Goshawk.  The  following  synonymes  are  given 
by  Prince  Musignano:  Falco  Co/winbarttw,  GMEL.  Syst.  i,  p.  281.  LATH. — 
TEMM.—  F.gentilis,  LINN.  GMEL.  Syst.t,  p.  270.  LATH,  (young)  JP.  gallina- 
riiM.  LINN.  LATH,  (very  young  female.)  L'^utour,  BUFF.  PI.  Enl.  418.  (adult) 
L'wflutotir  sor*,  BUFF.  PI.  Enl.  461.  (young.)  Le  Buzard,  BUFF.  PI.  Enl.  423. 
(very  young  female. )  See  Journal.  Acad.  Nat.  Sc.  in,  p.  346. 


ASH-COLOURED,  OR  BLACK-CAP  HAWK.  81 

tinged  with  brown,  slightest  on  the  quills;  legs  feathered  half 
way  down,  and,  with  the  feet,  of  a  yellow  colour;  whole  lower 
parts  and  femorals  white,  most  elegantly  speckled  with  fine 
transverse  pencilled  zig-zag  lines  of  dusky,  all  the  shafts  being 
a  long  black  line;  vent  pure  white. 

If  this  be  not  the  celebrated  Goshawk,  formerly  so  much  es- 
teemed in  falconry,  it  is  very  closely  allied  to  it.  I  have  never 
myself  seen  a  specimen  of  that  bird  in  Europe,  and  the  descrip- 
tions of  their  best  naturalists  vary  considerably;  but  from  a 
careful  examination  of  the  figure  and  account  of  the  Goshawk, 
given  by  the  ingenious  Mr.  Bewick,  (Brit.  Birds,  v.  i,  p.  65. ) 
I  have  very  little  doubt  that  the  present  will  be  found  to  be 
the  same. 

The  Goshawk  inhabits  France  and  Germany;  is  not  very 
common  in  South  Britain,  but  more  frequent  in  the  northern 
parts  of  the  island,  and  is  found  in  Russia  and  Siberia.  Buffon, 
who  reared  two  young  birds  of  this  kind,  a  male  and  female, 
observes,  that  "  the  Goshawk  before  it  has  shed  its  feathers, 
that  is,  in  its  first  year,  is  marked  on  the  breast  and  belly  with 
longitudinal  brown  spots;  but  after  it  has  had  two  moultings 
they  disappear,  and  their  place  is  occupied  by  transverse  wav- 
ing bars,  which  continue  during  the  rest  of  its  life;"  he  also 
takes  notice,  that  though  the  male  was  much  smaller  than  the 
female,  it  was  fiercer  and  more  vicious. 

Pennant  informs  us  that  the  Goshawk  is  used  by  the  empe- 
ror of  China  in  his  sporting  excursions,  when  he  is  usually  at- 
tended by  his  grand  falconer,  and  a  thousand  of  inferior  rank. 
Every  bird  has  a  silver  plate  fastened  to  its  foot,  with  the  name 
of  the  falconer  who  has  the  charge  of  it,  that  in  case  it  should 
be  lost,  it  may  be  restored  to  the  proper  person;  but  if  he  should 
not  be  found,  the  bird  is  delivered  to  another  officer,  called  the 
guardian  of  lost  birds,  who,  to  make  his  situation  known, 
erects  his  standard  in  a  conspicuous  place  among  the  army  of 
hunters.  The  same  writer  informs  us,  that  he  examined  in  the 
Leverian  museum,  a  specimen  of  the  Goshawk  which  came 
from  America,  and  which  was  superior  in  size  to  the  European. 
VOL.  i. — N  n 


SPECIES  8.     FALCO  BOREALIS. 

RED-TAILED  HAWK. 

[Plate  LIL— Fig.  1.] 

«0rc£.  Zool.  p.  205,  JVb.  100. — American  Buzzard,  LATH,  i,  50.— 
TURT.  Syst.  p.  151. — F.  Jlquilinm,  caiida  ferrugiriea,  Great 
Eagle  Hawk,  BAUTRAM,  p.  290.— PEALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  182. 

THE  figure  of  this  bird,  and  those  of  the  other  two  Hawka 
in  the  same  plate,  are  reduced  to  exactly  half  the  dimensions  of 
the  living  subjects.  These  representations  are  offered  to  the 
public  with  a  confidence  in  their  fidelity;  but  these,  I  am  sorry 
to  say,  are  almost  all  I  have  to  give  towards  elucidating  their 
history.  Birds  naturally  thinly  dispersed  over  a  vast  extent  of 
country,  retiring  during  summer  to  the  depth  of  the  forests  to 
breed,  approaching  the  habitations  of  man,  like  other  thieves 
and  plunderers,  with  shy  and  cautious  jealousy,  seldom  permit- 
ting a  near  advance,  subject  to  great  changes  of  plumage,  and, 
since  the  decline  of  falconry,  seldom  or  never  domesticated,  offer 
to  those  who  wish  eagerly  to  investigate  their  history,  and  to 
delineate  their  particular  character  and  manners,  great  and  in- 
surmountable difficulties.  Little  more  can  be  done  in  such  cases 
than  to  identify  the  species,  and  trace  it  through  the  various 
quarters  of  the  world,  where  it  has  been  certainly  met  with. 

The  Red-tailed  Hawk  is  most  frequently  seen  in  the  lower 
parts  of  Pennsylvania,  during  the  severity  of  winter.  Among 
the  extensive  meadows  that  border  the  Schuylkill  and  Delaware, 
below  Philadelphia,  where  flocks  of  Larks,  (Jllauda  magna) 
and  where  mice  and  moles  are  in  great  abundance,  many  indi- 
viduals of  this  Hawk  spend  the  greater  part  of  the  winter. 
Others  prowl  around  the  plantations,  looking  out  for  vagrant 
chickens;  their  method  of  seizing  which,  is  by  sweeping  swiftly 
over  the  spot,  and  grappling  them  with  their  talons,  bearing 


RED-TAILED  HAWK.  83 

them  away  to  the  woods.  The  bird  from  which  the  figure  in 
the  plate  was  drawn,  was  surprised  in  the  act  of  feeding  on  a 
hen  he  had  just  killed,  and  which  he  was  compelled  to  abandon. 
The  remains  of  the  chicken  were  immediately  baited  to  a  steel- 
trap,  and  early  the  next  morning  the  unfortunate  Red-tail  was 
found  a  prisoner,  securely  fastened  by  the  leg.  The  same  hen 
which  the  day  before  he  had  massacred,  was,  the  very  next, 
made  the  means  of  decoying  him  to  his  destruction;  in  the  eye 
of  the  farmer  a  system  of  fair  and  just  retribution. 

This  species  inhabits  the  whole  United  States;  and,  I  believe, 
is  not  migratory,  as  I  found  it  in  the  month  of  May,  as  far  south 
as  Fort  Adams,  in  the  Mississippi  territory.  The  young  were 
at  that  time  nearly  as  large  as  their  parents,  and  were  very 
clamorous,  making  an  incessant  squeeling  noise.  One,  which  I 
shot,  contained  in  its  stomach  mingled  fragments  of  frogs  and 
lizards. 

The  Red-tailed  Hawk  is  twenty  inches  long,  and  three  feet 
nine  inches  in  extent;  bill  blue  black;  cere  and  sides  of  the 
mouth  yellow,  tinged  with  green;  lores  and  spot  on  the  under 
eye-lid  white,  the  former  marked  with  fine  radiating  hairs;  eye- 
brow, or  cartilage,  a  dull  eel  skin  colour,  prominent,  projecting 
over  the  eye;  a  broad  streak  of  dark  brown  extends  from  the 
sides  of  the  mouth  backwards;  crown  and  hind-head  dark  brown, 
seamed  with  white  and  ferruginous;  sides  of  the  neck  dull  fer- 
ruginous, streaked  with  brown;  eye  large;  iris  pale  amber;  back 
and  shoulders  deep  brown;  wings  dusky,  barred  with  blackish; 
ends  of  the  five  first  primaries  nearly  black;  scapulars  barred 
broadly  with  white  and  brown;  sides  of  the  tail-coverts  white, 
barred  with  ferruginous,  middle  ones  dark,  edged  with  rust; 
tail  rounded,  extending  two  inches  beyond  the  wings,  and  of  a 
bright  red  brown,  with  a  single  band  of  black  near  the  end,  and 
tipt  with  brownish  white;  on  some  of  the  lateral  feathers  are 
slight  indications  of  the  remains  of  other  narrow  bars;  lower 
parts  brownish  white ;  the  breast  ferruginous,  streaked  with  dark 
brown;  acrovss  the  belly  a  band  of  interrupted  spots  of  brown; 


84  RED-TAILED  HAWK. 

chin  white;  femorals  and  vent  pale  brownish  white,  the  former 
marked  with  a  few  minute  heart-shaped  spots  of  brown;  legs 
yellow,  feathered  half  way  below  the  knees. 

This  was  a  male.  Another  specimen  shot  within  a  few  days 
after,  agreed  in  almost  every  particular  of  its  colour  and  mark- 
ings with  the  present;  and  on  dissection  was  found  to  be  a  female. 


P  •-,,•,-.• 


FALCO  LEVERMNUS?* 

AMERICAN  BUZZARD. 

[Plate  LIL— Fig.  2.] 

PEALE'S  Museum.,  JVo.  400. 

IT  is  with  some  doubt  and  hesitation  that  I  introduce  the 
present  as  a  distinct  species  from  the  preceding.  In  their  size 
and  general  aspect  they  resemble  each  other  considerably;  yet 
I  have  found  both  males  and  females  among  each;  and  in  the 
present  species  I  have  sometimes  found  the  ground  colour  of 
the  tail  strongly  tinged  with  ferruginous,  and  the  bars  of  dusky 
but  slight;  while  in  the  preceding,  the  tail  is  sometimes  wholly 
red  brown,  the  single  bar  of  black  near  the  tip  excepted;  in  other 
specimens  evident  remains  of  numerous  other  bars  are  visible. 
In  the  meantime  both  are  figured,  and  future  observations  may 
throw  more  light  on  the  matter. 

This  bird  is  more  numerous  than  the  last;  but  frequents  the 
same  situations  in  winter.  One,  which  was  shot  in  the  wing, 
lived  with  me  several  weeks;  but  refused  to  eat.  It  amused  it- 
self by  frequently  hopping  from  one  end  of  the  room  to  the 
other;  and  sitting  for  hours  at  the  window,  looking  down  on 
the  passengers  below.  At  first,  when  approached  by  any  per- 
son, he  generally  put  himself  in  the  position  in  which  he  is 
represented;  but  after  some  time  he  became  quite  familiar,  per- 
mitting himself  to  be  handled,  and  shutting  his  eyes  as  if  quite 
passive.  Though  he  lived  so  long  without  food,  he  was  found 
on  dissection  to  be  exceedingly  fat,  his  stomach  being  enveloped 
in  a  mass  of  solid  fat  of  nearly  an  inch  in  thickness. 

*  Falco  borealis.  Wilson's  suspicions  of  this  and  the  preceding  being  the 
same  bird,  have  be"en  confirmed  by  Prince  Musignano.  This  is  the  young,  the 
preceding  the  adult  bird. 


80  AMERICAN  BUZZARD. 

The  American  Buzzard,  or  White-breasted  Hawk,  is  twenty- 
two  inches  long,  and  four  feet  in  extent;  cere  pale  green;  bill 
pale  blue,  black  at  the  point;  eye  bright  straw  colour;  eyebrow 
projecting  greatly;  head  broad,  flat  and  large;  upper  part  of  the 
head,  sides  of  the  neck  and  back,  brown,  streaked  and  seamed 
with  white,  and  some  pale  rust;  scapulars  and  wing-coverts 
spotted  with  white;  wing  quills  much  resembling  the  preceding 
species;  tail-coverts  white,  handsomely  barred  with  brown;  tail 
slightly  rounded,  of  a  pale  brown  colour,  varying  in  some  to  a 
sorrel,  crossed  by  nine  or  ten  bars  of  black,  and  tipt  for  half  an 
inch  with  white;  wings  brown,  barred  with  dusky;  inner  vanes 
nearly  all  white;  chin,  throat  and  breast,  pure  white,  with  the 
exception  of  some  slight  touches  of  brown  that  enclose  the  chin; 
femorals  yellowish  white,  thinly  marked  with  minute  touches 
of  rust;  legs  bright  yellow,  feathered  half  way  down;  belly 
broadly  spotted  with  black  or  very  deep  brown;  the  tips  of  the 
wings  reach  to  the  middle  of  the  tail. 

My  reason  for  inclining  to  consider  this  a  distinct  species 
from  the  last,  is  that  of  having  uniformly  found  the  present  two 
or  three  inches  larger  than  the  former,  though  this  may  possibly 
be  owing  to  their  greater  age.* 

•  Prince  Musignano  is  of  opinion  that  Wilson  took  his  admeasurement  of  the 
borealis  from  males,  and  that  of  the  leverianus  from  females;  as  he  has  always 
found  the  males  in  both  states  of  plumage  twenty  inches,  (a  size  which  Wil- 
son gives  as  that  of  the  borealis}  and  the  females  of  both,  twenty-two  inches, 
(the  size  of  the  leveriamis  as  given  by  Wilson.) 


SPECIES  9.   FdLCO  PENNSYLFJINICUS. 

SLATE-COLOURED  HAWK.* 

[Plate  XLVL— Fig.  I.] 


THIS  elegant  and  spirited  little  Hawk  is  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  of  the  Atlantic  states  generally;  and  is  now  for  the 
first  time  introduced  to  the  notice  of  the  public.  It  frequents 
the  more  settled  parts  of  the  country,  chiefly  in  winter;  is  at 
all  times  a  scarce  species;  flies  wide,  very  irregular,  and  swiftly; 
preys  on  lizards,  mice  and  small  birds,  and  is  an  active  and  da- 
ring little  hunter.  It  is  drawn  of  full  size,  from  a  very  beauti- 
ful specimen  shot  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Philadelphia.  The 
bird  within  his  grasp  is  the  Tanagra  rubra,  or  Black-winged 
Red-bird,  in  its  green  or  first  year's  dress.  In  the  spring  of  the 
succeeding  year  the  green  and  yellow  plumage  of  this  bird  be- 
comes of  a  most  splendid  scarlet,  and  the  wings  and  tail  deepen 
into  a  glossy  black. 

The  great  difficulty  of  accurately  discriminating  between  dif- 
ferent species  of  the  Hawk  tribe,  on  account  of  the  various  ap- 
pearances they  assume  at  different  periods  of  their  long  lives, 
at  first  excited  a  suspicion  that  this  might  be  one  of  those  with 
which  I  was  already  acquainted,  in  a  different  dress,  namely, 
the  Sharp-shinned  Hawk,  figured  in  plate  XLV  of  this  work; 
for  such  are  the  changes  of  colour  to  which  many  individuals 

*  By  comparing  this  bird  with  the  Sharp-shinned  Hawk,  it  will  be  obvious 
that  Wilson  had  good  reason  for  his  first  opinion,  that  they  are  identical;  al- 
though he  subsequently  came  to  a  contrary  conclusion.  It  is  probable  that 
they  will  be  found  to  be  the  same,  and  that  this  is  the  adult,  and  the  Sharp- 
shinned  Hawk  the  young  bird.  If  this  be  the  case,  the  name  velox,  which  was 
first  given  to  this  species  by  Wilson,  must  be  retained;  unless  indeed  it  should 
prove  to  be  identical  with  the  F.  /itscus  of  authors,  as  asserted  by  Prince  Musig- 
najno;  in  which  event  this  litter  name  must  of  course,  having  the  priority,  be 
adopted. 


88  SLATE-COLOURED  HAWK. 

of  this  genus  are  subject,  that  unless  the  naturalist  has  recourse 
to  those  parts  that  are  subject  to  little  or  no  alteration  in  the  full- 
grown  bird,  viz.  the  particular  conformation  of  the  legs,  nos- 
trils, tail,  and  the  relative  length  of  the  latter  to  that  of  the 
wings,  also  the  peculiar  character  of  the  countenance,  he  will 
frequently  be  deceived.  By  comparing  these,  the  same  species 
may  often  be  detected  under  a  very  different  garb.  Were  all 
these  changes  accurately  known,  there  is  no  doubt  but  the  num- 
ber of  species  of  this  tribe,  at  present  enumerated,  would  be 
greatly  diminished;  the  same  bird  having  been  described,  by 
certain  writers,  three,  four,  and  even  five  different  times,  as  so 
many  distinct  species.  Testing,  however,  the  present  Hawk 
by  the  rules  above-mentioned,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  consid- 
ering it  as  a  species  different  from  any  hitherto  described;  and 
I  have  classed  it  accordingly. 

The  Slate-coloured  Hawk  is  eleven  inches  long;  and  twenty- 
one  inches  in  extent;  bill  blue  black;  cere  and  sides  of  the 
mouth  dull  green;  eye-lid  yellow;  eye  deep  sunk  under  the  pro- 
jecting eyebrow,  and  of  a  fiery  orange  colour;  upper  parts  of  a 
fine  slate;  primaries  brown  black,  and,  as  well  as  the  seconda- 
ries,   barred    with   dusky;  scapulars  spotted  with  white  and 
brown,  which  is  not  seen  unless  the  plumage  be  separated  by 
the  hand;  all  the  feathers  above  are  shafted  with  black;  tail  very 
slightly  forked,  of  an  ash  colour,    faintly  tinged  with  brown, 
crossed  with  four  broad  bands  of  black,  and  tipt  with  white; 
tail  three  inches  longer  than  the  wings;  over  the  eye  extends  a 
streak  of  dull  white;  chin  white  mixed  with  fine  black  hairs; 
breast  and   belly  beautifully  variegated  with  ferruginous  and 
transverse  spots  of  white;  femorals  the  same;  vent  pure  white, 
legs  long,  very  slender,  and  of  a  rich  orange  yellow;   claws 
black,  large,  and  remarkably  sharp;  lining  of  the  wing  thickly 
marked  with  heart-shaped  spots  of  black.    This  bird  on  dissec- 
tion was  found  to  be  a  male.  In  the  month  of  February,  I  shot 
another  individual  of  this  species,  near  Hampton  in  Virginia, 
which  agreed  almost  exactly  with  the  present. 


FrfLCO  VELOX. 
SHARP-SHINNED   HAWK. 

[Plate  XL V.— Fig.  1,  Female.] 

THIS  is  a  bold  and  daring  species,  hitherto  unknown  to  na- 
turalists. The  only  Hawk  we  have  which  approaches  near  it 
in  colour  is  the  Pigeon  Hawk,  figured  in  plate  15.  But  there 
are  such  striking  differences  in  the  present,  not  only  in  colour, 
but  in  other  respects,  as  to  point  out  decisively  its  claims  to 
rank  as  a  distinct  species.  Its  long  and  slender  legs  and  toes; 
its  red  fiery  eye,  feathered  to  the  eye-lids;  its  triangular  grooved 
nostril,  and  length  of  tail,  are  all  different  from  the  Pigeon 
Hawk,  whose  legs  are  short,  its  eyes  dark  hazel,  surrounded 
with  a  broad  bare  yellow  skin,  and  its  nostrils  small  and  circu- 
lar, centred  with  a  slender  point,  that  rises  in  it  like  the  pistil 
of  a  flower.  There  is  no  Hawk  mentioned  by  Pennant,  either 
as  inhabiting  Europe  or  America,  agreeing  with  this.  I  may 
therefore,  with  confidence,  pronounce  it  a  nondescript;  and  have 
chosen  a  very  singular  peculiarity  which  it  possesses,  for  its 
specific  appellation. 

This  Hawk  was  shot  on  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill,  near 
Mr.  Bartram's.  Its  singularity  of  flight  surprised  me  long  be- 
fore I  succeeded  in  procuring  it.  It  seemed  to  throw  itself  from 
one  quarter  of  the  heavens  to  the  other,  with  prodigious  velo- 
city, inclining  to  the  earth;  swept  suddenly  down  into  a  thicket, 
and  instantly  re-appeared  with  a  small  bird  in  its  talons.  This 
feat  I  saw  it  twice  perform,  so  that  it  was  not  merely  an  acci- 
dental manoeuvre.  The  rapidity  and  seeming  violence  of  these 
zig-zag  excursions  were  really  remarkable,  and  appeared  to  me 
to  be  for  the  purpose  of  seizing  his  prey  by  sudden  surprise,  and 
main  force  of  flight.  I  kept  this  Hawk  alive  for  several  days, 
and  was  hopeful  I  might  be  able  to  cure  him;  but  he  died  of  his 

wound. 

VOL.  i. — o  o 


90  SHARP-SHINNED  HAWK. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  September,  two  young  men  whom  I  had 
despatched  on  a  shooting  expedition,  met  with  this  species  on 
one  of  the  ranges  of  the  Alleghany.  It  was  driving  around  in 
the  same  furious  headlong  manner,  and  had  made  a  sweep  at 
a  red  squirrel,  which  eluded  its  grasp,  and  itself  became  the 
victim.  These  are  the  only  individuals  of  this  bird  I  have  been 
able  to  procure,  and  fortunately  they  were  male  and  female. 

The  female  of  this  species  (represented  in  the  plate)  is  thir- 
teen inches  long,  and  twenty-five  inches  in  extent;  the  bill  is 
black  towards  the  point  on  both  mandibles,  but  light  blue  at  its 
base;  cere  a  fine  pea  green;  sides  of  the  mouth  the  same;  lores 
pale  whitish  blue,  beset  with  hairs;  crown  and  whole  upper 
parts  very  dark  brown,  every  feather  narrowly  skirted  with  a 
bright  rust  colour;  over  the  eye  a  stripe  of  yellowish  white, 
streaked  with  deep  brown;  primaries  spotted  on  their  inner 
vanes  with  black;  secondaries  crossed  on  both  vanes  with  three 
bars  of  dusky,  below  the  coverts;  inner  vanes  of  both  primaries 
and  secondaries  brownish  white;  all  the  scapulars  marked  with 
large  round  spots  of  white,  not  seen  unless  the  plumage  be  part- 
ed with  the  hand;  tail  long,  nearly  even,  crossed  with  four  bars 
of  black,  and  as  many  of  brown  ash,  and  tipt  with  white;  throat 
and  whole  lower  parts  pale  yellowish  white;  the  former  marked 
with  fine  long  pointed  spots  of  dark  brown,  the  latter  with  large 
oblong  spots  of  reddish  brown;  femorals  thickly  marked  with 
spade-formed  spots,  on  a  pale  rufous  ground;  legs  long  and 
feathered  a  little  below  the  knee,  of  a  greenish  yellow  colour, 
most  yellow  at  the  joints;  edges  of  the  inside  of  the  shins,  below 
the  knee,  projecting  like  the  edge  of  a  knife,  hard  and  sharp, 
as  if  intended  to  enable  the  bird  to  hold  its  prey  with  more 
security  between  them;  eye,  sunk  below  a  projecting  cartilage, 
iris  bright  yellow. 

The  male  was  nearly  two  inches  shorter;  the  upper  parts 
dark  brown;  the  feathers  skirted  with  pale  reddish,  the  front 
also  streaked  with  the  same;  cere  greenish  yellow;  lores  bluish; 
bill  black,  as  in  the  female;  streak  over  the  eye  lighter  than  in 
the  former;  chin  white;  breast  the  same,  streaked  with  brown; 


SHARP-SHINNED  HAWK.  91 

bars  on  the  tail  rather  narrower,  but  in  tint  and  number  the 
same;  belly  and  vent  white;  feet  and  shins  exactly  as  in  the 
female;  the  toes  have  the  same  pendulous  lobes,  which  mark 
those  of  the  female,  and  of  which  the  representation  in  the  plate 
will  give  a  correct  idea;  the  wings  barred  with  black,  very  no- 
ticeable on  the  lower  side. 

Since  writing  the  above,  I  have  shot  another  specimen  of  this 
Hawk,  corresponding  in  almost  every  particular  with  the  male 
last  mentioned;  and  which,  on  dissection,  also  proves  to  be  a 
male.  This  last  had  within  the  grasp  of  his  sharp  talons  a  small 
lizard,  just  killed,  on  which  he  was  about  to  feed.  How  he 
contrived  to  get  possession  of  it  appeared  to  me  matter  of  sur- 
prise, as  lightning  itself  seems  scarcely  more  fleet  than  this 
little  reptile.  So  rapid  are  its  motions,  that,  in  passing  from 
one  place  to  another,  it  vanishes,  and  actually  eludes  the  eye 
in  running  a  distance  of  twelve  or  fifteen  feet.  It  is  frequently 
seen  on  fences  that  are  covered  with  gray  moss  and  lichen, 
which  in  colour  it  very  much  resembles;  it  seeks  shelter  in 
hollow  trees,  and  also  in  the  ground  about  their  decayed  roots. 
They  are  most  numerous  in  hilly  parts  of  the  country,  partic- 
ularly on  the  declivities  of  the  Blue  mountain,  among  the  cre- 
vices of  rocks  and  stones.  When  they  are  disposed  to  run,  it 
is  almost  impossible  to  shoot  them,  as  they  disappear  at  the  first 
touch  of  the  trigger.  For  the  satisfaction  of  the  curious,  I  have 
introduced  a  full-sized  figure  of  this  lizard,  which  is  known  in 
many  parts  of  the  country  by  the  name  of  the  Swift 


SPECIES  10.  FrfLCO  PENNSYLVANICUS* 
BROAD-WINGED  HAWK. 

[Plate  LI V.— Fig.  1.] 

PEALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  407. 

THIS  new  species,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  the  figures  in  the 
same  plate,  is  represented  of  the  exact  size  of  life.  The  Hawk 
was  shot  on  the  sixth  of  May,  in  Bartram's  woods,  near  the 
Schuylkill,  and  was  afterwards  presented  to  Mr.  Peale,  in 
whose  collection  it  now  remains.  It  was  perched  upon  the 
dead  limb  of  a  high  tree,  feeding  on  something,  which  was  af- 
terwards found  to  be  the  meadow  mouse,  figured  in  plate  50. 
On  my  approach,  it  uttered  a  whining  kind  of  whistle,  and  flew 
off  to  another  tree,  where  I  followed  and  shot  it.  Its  great 
breadth  of  wing,  or  width  of  the  secondaries,  and  also  of  its 
head  and  body,  when  compared  with  its  length,  struck  me  as 
peculiarities.  It  seemed  a  remarkably  strong-built  bird,  hand- 
somely marked,  and  was  altogether  unknown  to  me.  Mr.  Bar- 
tram,  who  examined  it  very  attentively,  declared  he  had  never 
before  seen  such  a  Hawk.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day  I 
observed  another,  probably  its  mate  or  companion,  and  cer- 
tainly one  of  the  same  species,  sailing  about  over  the  same 
woods.  Its  motions  were  in  wide  circles,  with  unmoving 
wings,  the  exterior  outline  of  which  seemed  a  complete  semi- 
circle. I  was  extremely  anxious  to  procure  this  also  if  possible; 

*  The  name  Pennsylvanir.us,  was  given  by  Wilson  to  this  bird,  through  inad- 
vertence, he  having  already  given  that  name  to  the  Slate-coloured  Hawk, 
which  is  a  distinct  species  from  the  present,  as  Wilson  was  well  aware.  Mr. 
Ord,  in  the  reprint  of  this  work  called  it  F.  latisimus.  But  should  the 
Slate-coloured  Hawk  (F.  Pennsylvanicvs,)  and  the  Sharp-shinned  Hawk  (F. 
velox,)  prove  to  be  the  same  species,  then  the  name  Pennsylvaniciis  must  be 
retained  for  this  species,  that  of  velox  being  adopted  for  the  former. 


BROAD-WINGED  HAWK.  93 

but  it  was  attacked  and  driven  away  by  a  King-bird  before  I 
could  effect  my  purpose,  and  I  have  never  since  been  fortunate 
enough  to  meet  with  another.  On  dissecting  the  one  which  I 
had  shot,  it  proved  to  be  a  male. 

In  size  this  Hawk  agrees,  nearly,  with  the  Buzzardet,  (Fal- 
co  albidus]  of  Turton,  described  also  by  Pennant;  (Arct.  Zool. 
N.  109.)  but  either  the  descriptions  of  these  authors  are  very 
inaccurate,  the  change  of  colour  which  that  bird  undergoes  very 
great,  or  the  present  is  altogether  a  different  species.  Until, 
however,  some  other  specimens  of  this  Hawk  come  under  my 
observation,  I  can  only  add  to  the  figure  here  given,  and  widen 
is  a  good  likeness  of  the  original,  the  following  particulars  of 
its  size  and  plumage. 

Length  fourteen  inches,  extent  thirty-three  inches;  bill  black, 
blue  near  the  base,  slightly  toothed;  cere  and  corners  of  the 
mouth  yellow;  irides  bright  amber;  frontlet  and  lores  white; 
from  the  mouth  backwards  runs  a  streak  of  blackish  brown; 
upper  parts  dark  brown,  the  plumage  tipt,  and  the  head  streak- 
ed, with  whitish;  almost  all  the  feathers  above  are  spotted  or 
barred  with  white;  but  this  is  not  seen  unless  they  be  separated 
by  the  hand;  head  large,  broad  and  flat;  cere  very  broad,  the 
nostril  also  large;  tail  short,  the  exterior  and  interior  feathers 
somewhat  the  shortest,  the  others  rather  longer,  of  a  full  black, 
and  crossed  with  two  bars  of  white,  tipt  also  slightly  with 
whitish;  tail-coverts  spotted  with  white;  wings  dusky  brown, 
indistinctly  barred  with  black;  greater  part  of  the  inner  vanes 
snowy;  lesser  coverts,  and  upper  part  of  the  back,  tipt  and 
streaked  with  bright  ferruginous;  the  bars  of  black  are  very  dis- 
tinct on  the  lower  side  of  the  wing;  lining  of  the  wing  brown- 
ish white,  beautifully  marked  with  small  arrow-heads  of  brown; 
chin  white,  surrounded  by  streaks  of  black;  breast  and  sides 
elegantly  spotted  with  large  arrow-heads  of  brown,  centred 
with  pale  brown;  belly  and  vent,  like  the  breast,  white,  but 
more  thinly  marked  with  pointed  spots  of  brown;  femorals 
brownish  white,  thickly  marked  with  small  touches  of  brown 
and  white;  vent  white;  legs  very  stout;  feet  coarsely  scaled, 


94  BROAD-WINGED  HAWK. 

both  of  a  dirty  orange  yellow;  claws  semicircular,  strong  and 
very  sharp,  hind  one  considerably  the  largest. 

While  examining  the  plumage  of  this  bird,  a  short  time  after 
it  was  shot,  one  of  those  winged  ticks,  with  which  many  of  our 
birds  are  infested,  appeared  on  the  surface  of  the  feathers, 
moving  about,  as  they  usually  do,  backwards  or  sidewise,  like 
a  crab,  among  the  plumage,  with  great  facility.  The  Fish-Hawk, 
in  particular,  is  greatly  pestered  with  these  vermin,  which  oc- 
casionally leave  him  as  suits  their  convenience.  A  gentleman, 
who  made  the  experiment,  assured  me,  that  on  plunging  a  live 
Fish-Hawk  under  water,  several  of  these  winged  ticks  remain- 
ed hovering  over  the  spot,  and  the  instant  the  Hawk  rose  above 
the  surface,  darted  again  among  his  plumage.  The  experiment 
was  several  times  made,  with  the  like  result.  As  soon,  how- 
ever, as  these  parasites  perceive  the  dead  body  of  their  patron 
beginning  to  become  cold,  they  abandon  it;  and  if  the  person 
who  holds  it  have  his  head  uncovered,  dive  instantly  among 
his  hair,  as  I  have  myself  frequently  experienced;  and  though 
driven  thence,  repeatedly  return,  till  they  are  caught  and  de- 
stroyed. There  are  various  kinds  of  these  ticks:  the  one  found 
on  the  present  Hawk  is  figured  beside  him.  The  head  and  tho- 
rax were  light  brown;  the  legs,  six  in  number,  of  a  bright 
green,  their  joints  moving  almost  horizontally,  and  thus  ena- 
bling the  creature  to  pass  with  the  greatest  ease  between  the 
laminae  of  feathers;  the  wings  were  single,  of  a  dark  amber  co- 
lour, and  twice  as  long  as  the  body,  which  widened  towards 
the  extremity,  where  it  was  slightly  indented;  feet  two  clawed. 
This  insect  lived  for  several  days  between  the  crystal  and 
dial-plate  of  a  watch,  carried  in  the  pocket;  but  being  placed 
for  a  few  minutes  in  the  sun,  fell  into  convulsions  and  died. 


SPECIES  11.  FALCO  FURCATUS.* 
SWALLOW-TAILED  HAWK. 

[Plate  LI.— Fig.  2.] 

LINN.  Syst.  \  29. — LATH,  i,  60. — Hirundo  maxima  Peruviana 
avis  prcedatoris  calcaribus  instructa,  FEUILLEE,  Voy.  Peru, 
torn,  n,  35. — CATESB.  i,  4. — Le  Milan  de  la  Caroline,  BRISS.  i, 
418.— BUFF,  i,  221.— TURT.  Syst.  149.— Arct.  Zool.  p.  210, 
JVo.  108.— PEALE'S  Museum,  JVb.  142. 

THIS  very  elegant  species  inhabits  the  southern  districts  of 
the  United  States  in  summer;  is  seldom  seen  as  far  north  as 
Pennsylvania,  but  is  very  abundant  in  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia,  and  still  more  so  in  West  Florida,  and  the  extensive 
prairies  of  Ohio  and  the  Indiana  territory.  I  met  with  these 
birds,  in  the  early  part  of  May,  at  a  place  called  Duck-creek,  in 
Tennessee,  and  found  them  sailing  about  in  great  numbers  near 
Bayo  Manchac  on  the  Mississippi,  twenty  or  thirty  being 
within  view  at  the  same  time.  At  that  season  a  species  of  Ci- 
cada, or  locust,  swarmed  among  the  woods,  making  a  deafen- 
ing noise,  and  I  could  perceive  these  Hawks  frequently  snatch- 
ing them  from  the  trees.  A  species  of  lizard,  which  is  very 
numerous  in  that  quarter  of  the  country,  and  has  the  faculty  of 
changing  its  colour  at  will,  also  furnishes  the  Swallow-tailed 
Hawk  with  a  favourite  morsel.  These  lizards  are  sometimes 
of  the  most  brilliant  light  green,  in  a  few  minutes  change  to  a 
dirty  clay  colour,  and  again  become  nearly  black.  The  Swal- 
low-tailed Hawk,  and  Mississippi  Kite,  feed  eagerly  on  this 
lizard;  and,  it  is  said,  on  a  small  green  snake  also,  which  is  the 
mortal  enemy  of  the  lizard,  and  frequently  pursues  it  to  the 

*  F.forficatus,  LINN.  Syst.  i,  p.  89,  Sp.  11,  ed.  10. — LATH.  Ind.  Orn.p.  22,  JVb. 
41.— Milvusfurcatus,  VIEILLOT,  Ois.  de  VAm.  Sept.  vol.  i,  p.  28, pi.  10. 


96  SWALLOW-TAILED  HAWK. 

very  extremity  of  the  branches,  where  both  become  the  prey 
of  the  Hawk.* 

The  Swallow-tailed  Hawk  retires  to  the  south  in  October,  at 
which  season,  Mr.  Bartram  informs  me,  they  are  seen  in  Flo- 
rida, at  a  vast  height  in  the  air,  sailing  about  with  great  steadi- 
ness; and  continue  to  be  seen  thus,  passing  to  their  winter  quar- 
ters, for  several  days.  They  usually  feed  from  their  claws 
as  they  fly  along.  Their  flight  is  easy  and  graceful,  with  some- 
times occasional  sweeps  among  the  trees,  the  long  feathers  of 
their  tail  spread  out,  and  each  extremity  of  it  used,  alternately, 
to  lower,  elevate,  or  otherwise  direct  their  course.  I  have  ne- 
ver yet  met  with  their  nests. 

These  birds  are  particularly  attached  to  the  extensive  prai- 
ries of  the  western  countries,  where  their  favourite  snakes,  li- 
zards, grasshoppers  and  locusts,  are  in  abundance.  They  are 
sometimes,  though  rarely,  seen  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jer- 
sey, and  that  only  in  long  and  very  warm  summers.  A  spe- 
cimen now  in  the  Museum  of  Philadelphia,  was  shot  within  a 
few  miles  of  this  city.  We  are  informed,  that  one  was  taken 
in  the  South  sea,  off  the  coast  which  lies  between  Ylo  and  Ari- 
ca,  in  about  lat.  23°  south,  on  the  eleventh  of  September,  by 
the  Reverend  the  Father  Louis  Feuillee.  t  They  are  also  com- 
mon in  Mexico,  and  extend  tneir  migrations  as  far  as  Peru. 

The  Swallow-tailed  Hawk  measures  full  two  feet  in  length, 
and  upwards  of  four  feet  six  inches  in  extent;  the  bill  is  black; 
cere  yellow,  covered  at  the  base  with  bristles;  iris  of  the  eye 
silvery  cream,  surrounded  with  a  blood-red  ring;  whole  head 
and  neck  pure  white,  the  shafts  fine  black  hairs;  the  whole  low- 
er parts  also  pure  white;  the  throat  and  breast  shafted  in  the 
same  manner;  upper  parts,  or  back,  black,  glossed  with  green 
and  purple;  whole  lesser  coverts  very  dark  purple;  wings  long, 
reaching  within  two  inches  of  the  tip  of  the  tail,  and  black; 

*  This  animal,  if  I  mistake  not,  is  the  Lacerta  bullaris,  or  Bladder  Lizard,  of 
Tiirton,  vol.  i,  p.  666.  The  facility  with  which  it  changes  colour  is  sur- 
prising, and  not  generally  known  to  naturalists. 

t  Jour,  des  Obs.  TOM.  u,  33. 


SWALLOW-TAILED  HAWK.  97 

tail  also  very  long,  and  remarkably  forked,  consisting  of  twelve 
feathers,  all  black,  glossed  with  green  and  purple;  several  of 
the  tertials  white  or  edged  with  white,  but  generally  covered 
by  the  scapulars;  inner  vanes  of  the  secondaries  white  on  their 
upper  half,  black  towards  their  points;  lining  of  the  wings  white; 
legs  yellow,  short  and  thick,  and  feathered  before,  half  way  be- 
low the  knee;  claws  much  curved,  whitish;  outer  claw  very 
small.  The  greater  part  of  the  plumage  is  white  at  the  base; 
and  when  the  scapulars  are  a  little  displaced,  they  appear  spot- 
ted with  white. 

This  was  a  male  in  perfect  plumage.    The  colour  and  mark- 
ings of  the  male  and  female  are  nearly  alike. 


VOL.  i. — p  p 


. 

SPECIES  12.   FALCO  MISSISSIPPIENSIS.* 

MISSISSIPPI  KITE. 
[Plate  XXV.— -Fig.  I,  Male.] 
PEALE'S  Museum,  No.  403. 

THIS  new  species  I  first  observed  in  the  Mississippi  territory, 
a  few  miles  below  Natchez,  on  the  plantation  of  William  Dun- 
bar,  esquire,  where  the  bird  represented  in  the  plate  was  obtain- 
ed, after  being  slightly  wounded;  and  the  drawing  made  with 
great  care  from  the  living  specimen.  To  the  hospitality  of  the 
gentleman  above  mentioned,  and  his  amiable  family,  I  am  in- 
debted for  the  opportunity  afforded  me  of  procuring  this,  and 
one  or  two  more  new  species.  This  excellent  man,  (whose  life 
has  been  devoted  to  science)  though  at  that  time  confined  to 
bed  by  a  severe  and  dangerous  indisposition,  and  personally 
unacquainted  with  me,  no  sooner  heard  of  my  arrival  at  the 
town  of  Natchez,  than  he  sent  a  servant  and  horses,  with  an  in- 
vitation and  request  to  come  and  make  his  house  my  home 
and  head-quarters,  while  engaged  in  exploring  that  part  of  the 
country.  The  few  happy  days  I  spent  there  I  shall  never  for- 
get 

In  my  perambulations,  I  frequently  remarked  this  Hawk  sail- 
ing about  in  easy  circles,  and  at  a  considerable  height  in  the  air, 
generally  in  company  with  the  Turkey-Buzzards,  whose  man- 
ner of  flight  it  so  exactly  imitates,  as  to  seem  the  same  species, 
only  in  miniature,  or  seen  at  a  more  immense  height  Why 
these  two  birds,  whose  food  and  manners,  in  other  respects,  are 

*This  species,  although  supposed  to  be  new  by  Wilson,  had  been  figured 
and  described  by  Vieillot,  in  his  "  Histoire  Naturelle  dea  Oiseaux  do  PAme'ri- 
que  Septentrionale,"  under  the  name  of  Mima  cenchris.  Vieillot  refers  it  to 
the  F.  plumbeus  of  Gmelin,  and  the  Sp«tUd-tailed  Hobby  of  Latham.  Gen.  Syn.  I, 
p.  106. 


MISSISSIPPI  KITE.  99 

so  different,  should  so  frequently  associate  together  in  air,  I  am 
at  a  loss  to  comprehend.  We  cannot  for  a  moment  suppose 
them  mutually  deceived  by  the  similarity  of  each  others  flight: 
the  keenness  of  their  vision  forbids  all  suspicion  of  this  kind. 
They  may  perhaps  be  engaged,  at  such  times,  in  mere  amuse- 
ment, as  they  are  observed  to  soar  to  great  heights  previous  to 
a  storm;  or,  what  is  more  probable,  may  both  be  in  pursuit  of 
their  respective  food.  One  that  he  may  reconnoitre  a  vast  ex- 
tent of  surface  below,  and  trace  the  tainted  atmosphere  to  his 
favourite  carrion;  the  other  in  search  of  those  large  beetles,  or 
coleopterous  insects,  that  are  known  often  to  wing  the  higher 
regions  of  the  air;  and  which,  in  the  three  individuals  of  this 
species  of  Hawk  which  I  examined  by  dissection,  were  the 
only  substances  found  in  their  stomachs.  For  several  miles,  as 
I  passed  near  Bayo  Manchak,  the  trees  were  swarming  with  a 
kind  of  Cicada,  or  locust,  that  made  a  deafening  noise;  and  here 
I  observed  numbers  of  the  Hawk  now  before  us,  sweeping  about 
among  the  trees  like  Swallows,  evidently  in  pursuit  of  these  lo- 
custs; so  that  insects,  it  would  appear,  are  the  principal  food  of 
this  species.  Yet  when  we  contemplate  the  beak  and  talons  of 
this  bird,  both  so  sharp  and  powerful,  it  is  difficult  to  believe 
that  they  were  not  intended  by  nature  for  some  more  formida- 
ble prey  than  beetles,  locusts,  or  grasshoppers;  and  I  doubt  not 
but  mice,  lizards,  snakes  and  small  birds,  furnish  him  with  an 
occasional  repast. 

This  Hawk,  though  wounded  and  precipitated  from  a  vast 
height,  exhibited,  in  his  distress,  symptons  of  great  strength, 
and  an  almost  unconquerable  spirit.  I  no  sooner  approached  to 
pick  him  up,  than  he  instantly  gave  battle,  striking  rapidly 
with  his  claws,  wheeling  round  and  round  as  he  lay  partly  on 
his  rump;  and  defending  himself  with  great  vigilance  and  dex- 
terity; while  his  dark  red  eye  sparkled  with  rage.  Notwith- 
standing all  my  caution  in  seizing  him,  to  carry  him  home,  he 
struck  his  hind  claw  into  my  hand  with  such  force  as  to  pene- 
trate into  the  bone.  Anxious  to  preserve  his  life,  I  endeavoured 
gently  to  disengage  it;  but  this  made  him  only  contract  it  the 


100  MISSISSIPPI  KITE. 

more  powerfully,  causing  such  pain  that  I  had  no  other  alter- 
native but  that  of  cutting  the  sinew  of  his  heel  with  my  penknife. 
The  whole  time  he  lived  with  me,  he  seemed  to  watch  every 
movement  I  made;  erecting  the  feathers  of  his  hind-head,  and 
eyeing  me  with  savage  fierceness;  considering  me,  no  doubt, 
as  the  greatest  savage  of  the  two.  What  effect  education  might 
have  had  on  this  species,  under  the  tutorship  of  some  of  the  old 
European  professors  of  Falconry,  I  know  not;  but  if  extent  of 
wing,  and  energy  of  character,  and  ease  and  rapidity  of  flight, 
would  have  been  any  recommendations  to  royal  patronage,  this 
species  possesses  all  these  in  a  very  eminent  degree. 

The  long  pointed  wings,  and  forked  tail,  point  out  the  affin- 
ity of  this  bird  to  that  family,  or  subdivision  of  the  Falco  genus, 
distinguished  by  the  name  of  Kites,  which  sail  without  flapping 
the  wings,  and  eat  from  their  talons  as  they  glide  along. 

The  Mississippi  Kite  measures  fourteen  inches  in  length,  and 
thirty-six  inches,  or  three  feet,  in  extent!  The  head,  neck,  and 
exterior  webs  of  the  secondaries,  are  of  a  hoary  white;  the  low- 
er parts  a  whitish  ash;  bill,  cere,  lores,  and  narrow  line  round 
the  eye,  black;  back,  rump,  scapulars,  and  wing-coverts,  dark 
blackish  ash;  wings  very  long  and  pointed,  the  third  quill  the 
longest;  the  primaries  are  black,  marked  down  each  side  of  the 
shaft  with  reddish  sorrel;  primary  coverts  also  slightly  touched 
with  the  same;  all  the  upper  plumage  at  the  roots  is  white;  the 
scapulars  are  also  spotted  with  white;  but  this  cannot  be  per- 
ceived unless  the  feathers  be  blown  aside;  tail  slightly  forked, 
and,  as  well  as  the  rump,  jet  black;  legs  vermilion,  tinged 
with  orange  and  becoming  blackish  towards  the  toes;  claws 
black;  iris  of  the  eye  dark  red,  pupil  black. 

This  was  a  male.  With  the  female,  which  is  expected  soon 
from  that  country,  I  shall,  in  a  future  volume,  communicate  such 
further  information  relative  to  their  manners  and  incubation,  as 
I  may  be  able  to  collect. 


SPECIES  13.  FALCO  LAGOPUS* 

ROUGH-LEGGED  FALCON. 

[Plate  XXXIII.— Fig.  1.] 

drct.  Zuul.  p.  200,  JVb.  92. — LATHAM,  i,  75. — PEALE'S  Museum, 

J\"o.  116. 

THIS  handsome  species,  notwithstanding  its  formidable  size 
and  appearance,  spends  the  chief  part  of  the  winter  among  our 
low  swamps  and  meadows,  watching  for  mice,  frogs,  lame 
ducks,  and  other  inglorious  game.  Twenty  or  thirty  individu- 
als of  this  family  have  regularly  taken  up  their  winter  quar- 
ters, for  several  years  past,  and  probably  long  anterior  to  that 
date,  in  the  meadows  below  this  city,  between  the  rivers  Dela- 
ware and  Schuylkill,  where  they  spend  their  time  watching 
along  the  dry  banks  like  cats;  or  sailing  low  and  slowly  over 
the  surface  of  the  ditches.  Though  rendered'  shy  from  the 
many  attempts  made  to  shoot  them,  they  seldom  fly  far,  usual- 
ly from  one  tree  to  another,  at  no  great  distance,  making  a  loud 
squeeling  as  they  arise,  something  resembling  the  neighing  of 
a  young  colt;  though  in  a  more  shrill  and  savage  tone. 

The  bird  represented  in  the  plate  was  one  of  this  fraternity; 
and  several  others  of  the  same  association  have  been  obtained 
and  examined  during  the  present  winter.  On  comparing  these 
with  Pennant's  description,  referred  to  above,  they  correspond 
so  exactly,  that  no  doubts  remain  of  their  being  the  same  spe- 
cies. Towards  the  beginning  of  April,  these  birds  abandon 
this  part  of  the  country,  and  retire  to  the  north  to  breed. 

They  are  common  during  winter  in  the  lower  parts  of  Mary- 
land, and  numerous  in  the  extensive  meadows  below  Newark, 

*  We  add  the  following  synonymes:  LATH.  Ind.  Orn.  p.  19. — GM.EL.  Syst,  ir 
p.  260.— TEMM.  Man.  d'Orn.  r,  p.  65. 


102  BOUGH-LEGGED  FALCON. 

New  Jersey;  are  frequent  along  the  Connecticut  river;  and,  ac- 
cording to  Pennant,  inhabit  England,  Norway  and  Lapmark. 
Their  flight  is  slow  and  heavy.  They  are  often  seen  coursing 
over  the  surface  of  the  meadows,  long  after  sunset,  many  times 
in  pairs.  They  generally  roost  on  the  tall,  detached  trees,  that 
rise  from  these  low  grounds;  and  take  their  stations,  at  day- 
break, near  a  ditch,  bank,  or  hay-stack,  for  hours  together, 
watching,  with  patient  vigilance,  for  the  first  unlucky  frog, 
mouse  or  lizard,  to  make  its  appearance.  The  instant  one  of 
these  is  descried,  the  Hawk,  sliding  into  the  air,  and  taking  a 
circuitous  course  along  the  surface,  sweeps  over  the  spot,  and 
in  an  instant  has  his  prey  grappled  and  sprawling  in  the  air. 

The  Rough-legged  Hawk  measures  twenty-two  inches  in 
length,  and  four  feet  two  inches  in  extent;  cere,  sides  of  the 
mouth,  and  feet,  rich  yellow;  legs  feathered  to  the  toes  with 
brownish  yellow  plumage,  streaked  with  brown,  femorals  the 
same;  toes  comparatively  short,  claws  and  bill  blue  black;  iris 
of  the  eye  bright  amber;  upper  part  of  the  head  pale  ochre, 
streaked  with  brown;  back  and  wings  chocolate,  each  feather 
edged  with  bright  ferruginous;  first  four  primaries  nearly  black 
about  the  tips,  edged  externally  with  silvery  in  some  lights; 
rest  of  the  quills  dark  chocolate;  lower  side,  and  interior  vanes, 
white;  tail-coverts  white;  tail  rounded,  white,  with  a  broad 
band  of  dark  brown  near  the  end,  and  tipt  with  white;  body 
below,  and  breast,  light  yellow  ochre,  blotched  and  streaked 
with  chocolate.  What  constitutes  a  characteristic  mark  of  this 
bird,  is  a  belt  or  girdle,  of  very  dark  brown,  passing  round  the 
belly,  just  below  the  breast,  and  reaching  under  the  wings  to 
the  rump ;  head  very  broad,  and  bill  uncommonly  small,  suited 
to  the  humility  of  its  prey. 

The  female  is  much  darker  both  above  and  below,  particu- 
larly in  the  belt  or  girdle,  which  is  nearly  black;  the  tail-coverts 
are  also  spotted  with  chocolate;  she  is  also  something  larger. 


SPECIES  14.    FALCO  NIGER.* 

BLACK  HAWK. 

[Plate  LIIL— Fig.  1.] 

PEALE'S  Museum,  JVb.  404. 

THIS,  and  the  other  two  figures  in  the  same  plate,  are  re- 
duced from  the  large  drawings,  which  were  taken  of  the  exact 
size  of  nature,  to  one  half  their  dimensions.  I  regret  the  ne- 
cessity which  obliges  me  to  contract  the  figures  of  these  birds, 
by  which  much  of  the  grandeur  of  the  originals  is  lost;  particu- 
lar attention,  however,  has  been  paid,  in  the  reduction,  to  the 
accurate  representation  of  all  their  parts. 

This  is  a  remarkably  shy  and  wary  bird,  found  most  fre- 
quently along  the  marshy  shores  of  our  large  rivers;  feeds  on 
mice,  frogs  and  moles;  sails  much,  and  sometimes  at  a  great 
height;  has  been  seen  to  kill  a  duck  on  wing;  sits  by  the  side 
of  the  marshes,  on  a  stake,  for  an  hour  at  a  time,  in  an  almost 
perpendicular  position,  as  if  dozing;  flies  with  great  ease,  and 
occasionally  with  great  swiftness,  seldom  flapping  the  wings; 
seems  particularly  fond  of  river  shores,  swamps  and  marshes; 
is  most  numerous  with  us  in  winter,  and  but  rarely  seen  in 
summer;  is  remarkable  for  the  great  size  of  its  eye,  length  of 
its  wings,  and  shortness  of  its  toes.  The  breadth  of  its  head  is 
likewise  uncommon. 

The  Black  Hawk  is  twenty-one  inches  long,  and  four  feet 
two  inches  in  extent;  bill  bluish  black;  cere  and  sides  of  the 
mouth  orange  yellow;  feet  the  same;  eye  very  large,  iris  bright 
hazel;  cartilage  overhanging  the  eye,  prominent,  of  a  dull 
greenish  colour;  general  colour  above,  brown  black,  slightly 

*  As  Wilson  suspected,  this  is  the  F.  Sancti  Johannis  of  Latham.  Ind.  Orn. 
p.  34,  .Yo  74.— GMBL.  Syst.  i,p.  273,  JVb.  92.  F.  Spadiceus?  Id.  Ab.  91. 


104  BLACK  HAWK. 

dashed  with  dirty  white;  nape  of  the  neck  pure  white  under 
the  surface;  front  white;  whole  lower  parts  black,  with  slight 
tinges  of  brown,  and  a  few  circular  touches  of  the  same  on  the 
femorals;  legs  feathered  to  the  toes,  and  black,  touched  with 
brownish;  the  wings  reach  rather  beyond  the  tip  of  the  tail;  the 
five  first  primaries  are  white  on  their  inner  vanes;  tail  rounded 
at  the  end,  deep  black,  crossed  with  five  narrow  bands  of  pure 
white,  and  broadly  tipt  with  dull  white;  vent  black,  spotted 
with  white;  inside  vanes  of  the  primaries  snowy;  claws  black, 
strong  and  sharp;  toes  remarkably  short. 

I  strongly  suspect  this  bird  to  be  of  the  very  same  species 
with  the  next,  though  both  were  found  to  be  males.  Although 
differing  greatly  in  plumage,  yet  in  all  their  characteristic  fea- 
tures they  strikingly  resemble  each  other.  The  Chocolate- 
coloured  Falcon  of  Pennant,  and  St.  John's  Falcon  of  the 
same  author,  (Arct.  Zool.  No.  93  and  94,)  are  doubtless  varie- 
ties of  this;  and  very  probably  his  Rough-legged  Falcon  also. 
His  figures,  however,  are  bad,  and  ill  calculated  to  exhibit  the 
true  form  and  appearance  of  the  bird. 

This  species  is  a  native  of  North  America  alone.  We  have 
no  account  of  its  ever  having  been  seen  in  any  part  of  Europe; 
nor  have  we  any  account  of  its  place,  or  manner,  of  breeding. 


BLACK  HAWK.— (VARIETY*) 

[Plate  LIIL— Fig.  2.] 

PE ALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  405. 

THIS  is  probably  a  younger  bird  of  the  preceding  species, 
being,  though  a  male,  somewhat  less  than  its  companion.  Both 
were  killed  in  the  same  meadow,  at  the  same  place  and  time. 
In  form,  features,  and  habitudes,  it  exactly  agreed  with  the 
former. 

This  bird  measures  twenty  inches  in  length,  and  in  extent 
four  feet;  the  eyes,  bill,  cere,  toes,  and  claws,  were  as  in  the 
preceding;  head  above  white,  streaked  with  black  and  light 
brown;  along  the  eyebrows  a  black  line;  cheeks  streaked  like 
the  head;  neck  streaked  with  black  and  reddish  brown,  on  a 
pale  yellowish  white  ground;  whole  upper  parts  brown  black, 
dashed  with  brownish  white  and  pale  ferruginous;  tail  white  for 
half  its  length,  ending  in  brown,  marked  with  one  or  two  bars 
of  dusky,  and  a  large  bar  of  black,  and  tipt  with  dull  white ; 
wings  as  in  the  preceding,  their  lining  variegated  with  black, 
white  and  ferruginous;  throat  and  breast  brownish  yellow, 
dashed  with  black;  belly  beautifully  variegated  with  spots  of 
white,  black  and  pale  ferruginous;  femorals  and  feathered  legs 
the  same,  but  rather  darker;  vent  plain  brownish  white. 

The  original  colour  of  these  birds,  in  their  young  state,  may 
probably  be  pale  brown,  as  the  present  individual  seemed  to  be 
changing  to  a  darker  colour  on  the  neck  and  sides  of  the  head. 
This  change,  from  pale  brown  to  black,  is  not  greater  than 
some  of  the  genus  are  actually  known  to  undergo.  One  great 
advantage  of  examining  living,  or  newly  killed  specimens,  is, 
that  whatever  may  be  the  difference  of  colour  between  any  two, 
the  eye,  countenance,  and  form  of  the  head,  instantly  betray 

*  As  Wilson  supposed  this  is  the  young  of  the  preceding  species. 
VOL.  I. — Q  q 


106  BLACK  HAWK. 

the  common  family  to  which  they  belong;  for  this  family  like- 
ness is  never  lost  in  the  living  bird,  though  in  stuffed  skins, 
and  preserved  specimens,  it  is  frequently  entirely  obliterated. 
I  have  no  hesitation,  therefore,  in  giving  it  as  my  opinion,  that 
the  present  and  preceding  birds  are  of  the  same  species,  differ- 
ing only  in  age,  both  being  males.  Of  the  female  I  am  unable 
at  present  to  speak. 

Pennant,  in  his  account  of  the  Chocolate-coloured  Hawk? 
which  is  very  probably  the  same  with  the  present  and  prece- 
ding species,  observes,  that  it  preys  much  on  Ducks,  sitting  on 
a  rock,  and  watching  their  rising,  when  it  instantly  strikes  them. 

While  traversing  our  seacoast  and  salt  marshes,  between 
Cape  May  and  Egg-Harbour,  I  was  every  where  told  of  a  Duck 
Hawk,  noted  for  striking  down  Ducks  on  wing,  though  flying 
with  their  usual  rapidity.  Many  extravagances  were  mingled 
with  these  accounts,  particularly,  that  it  always  struck  the 
Ducks  with  its  breast-bone,  which  was  universally  said  to  pro- 
ject several  inches,  and  to  be  strong  and  sharp.  From  the  best 
verbal  descriptions  I  could  obtain  of  this  Hawk,  I  have  strong 
suspicions  that  it  is  no  other  than  the  Black  Hawk,  as  its  wings 
were  said  to  be  long  and  very  pointed,  the  colour  very  dark, 
the  size  nearly  alike,  and  several  other  traits  given  that  seem- 
ed particularly  to  belong  to  this  species.  As  I  have  been  pro- 
mised specimens  of  this  celebrated  Hawk  next  winter,  a  short 
time  will  enable  me  to  determine  the  matter  more  satisfactorily. 
Few  gunners  in  that  quarter  are  unacquainted  with  the  Duck 
Hawk,  as  it  often  robs  them  of  their  wounded  birds,  before 
they  are  able  to  reach  them. 


SPECIES  16.    FALCO  HYEMALIS. 
WINTER  FALCON. 

[Plate  XXXV.— Fig.  1.] 

TURTON,  Syst.  p.  \5Q.-Jlrct.  Zool  p.  209,  No.  107.— PEALE'S 
Museum,  No.  272  and  273.* 

THIS  elegant  and  spirited  Hawk  is  represented  in  the  plate 
of  one  half  its  natural  size;  the  other  two  figures  are  reduced  in 
the  same  proportion.  He  visits  us  from  the  north  early  in  No- 
vember, and  leaves  us  late  in  March. 

This  is  a  dexterous  Frog-catcher;  who,  that  he  may  pursue 
his  profession  with  full  effect,  takes  up  his  winter  residence  al- 
most entirely  among  our  meadows  and  marshes.  He  sometimes 
stuffs  himself  so  enormously  with  these  reptiles,  that  the  pro- 
minency of  his  craw  makes  a  large  bunch,  and  he  appears  to 
fly  with  difficulty.  I  have  taken  the  broken  fragments,  and 
whole  carcasses,  of  ten  frogs,  of  different  dimensions,  from  the 
crop  of  a  single  individual.  Of  his  genius  and  other  exploits  I 
am  unable  to  say  much.  He  appears  to  be  a  fearless  and  active 
bird,  silent,  and  not  very  shy.  One  which  I  kept  for  some 
time,  and  which  was  slightly  wounded,  disdained  all  attempts 
made  to  reconcile  him  to  confinement;  and  would  not  suffer  a 
person  to  approach,  without  being  highly  irritated;  throwing 
himself  backward,  and  striking  with  expanded  talons,  with 
great  fury.  Though  shorter  winged  than  some  of  his  tribe,  yet 
I  have  no  doubt,  but,  with  proper  care,  he  might  be  trained  to 
strike  nobler  game,  in  a  bold  style,  and  with  great  effect.  But 
the  education  of  Hawks  in  this  country  may  well  be  postponed 
for  a  time,  until  fewer  improvements  remain  to  be  made  in  that 
of  the  human  subject. 

*  We  add  the  following  synonymes:  Falco  hyemalis,  GMEL.  Syst.  i,  p.  274. 
—LATH.  Ind.  Orn.  p.  35. 


108  WINTER  FALCON. 

Length  of  the  Winter  Hawk  twenty  inches,  extent  forty-one 
inches,  or  nearly  three  feet  six  inches;  cere  and  legs  yellow, 
the  latter  long,  and  feathered  for  an  inch  below  the  knee;  bill 
bluish  black,  small,  furnished  with  a  tooth  in  the  upper  man- 
dible; eye  bright  amber,  cartilage  over  the  eye  very  promi- 
nent, and  of  a  dull  green;  head,  sides  of  the  neck,  and  throat, 
dark  brown,  streaked  with  white;  lesser  coverts  with  a  strong 
glow  of  ferruginous;  secondaries  pale  brown,  indistinctly  barred 
with  darker;  primaries  brownish  orange,  spotted  with  black, 
wholly  black  at  the  tips;  tail  long,  slightly  rounded,  barred  al- 
ternately with  dark  and  pale  brown,  inner  vanes  white,  exte- 
rior feathers  brownish  orange;  wings,  when  closed,  reach  rather 
beyond  the  middle  of  the  tail;,  tail-coverts  white,  marked  with 
heart-shaped  spots  of  brown;  breast  and  belly  white,  with  nu- 
merous long  drops  of  brown,  the  shafts  blackish;  femoral  fea- 
thers large,  pale  yellow  ochre,  marked  with  numerous  minute 
streaks  of  pale  brown;  claws  black.  The  legs  of  this  bird  are 
represented  by  different  authors  as  slender;  but  I  saw  no  appear- 
ance of  this  in  those  I  examined. 

The  female  is  considerably  darker  above,  and  about  two 
inches  longer. 


FALCO  LINEATUS* 

RED-SHOULDERED  HAWK. 

[Plate  LIIL—  Fig.  3.] 

Arct.  Zool.  p.  206,  JVb.  1 02.— LATH,  i,  56,  JVo.  36.— TURT.  Syst, 
p.  153.— PEALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  205. 

THIS  Hawk  is  more  rarely  met  with  than  either  of  those  in 
the  same  plate.  Its  haunts  are  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  sea. 
It  preys  on  Larks,  Sandpipers,  and  the  small  Ringed  Plover, 
and  frequently  on  Ducks.  It  flies  high  and  irregularly,  and 
not  in  the  sailing  manner  of  the  Long-winged  Hawks.  I 
have  occasionally  observed  this  bird  near  Egg-Harbour,  in 
New  Jersey;  and  once  in  the  meadows  below  this  city.  This 
Hawk  was  first  transmitted  to  Great  Britain  by  Mr.  Black- 
burne,  from  Long  Island,  in  the  state  of  New  York.  Of  its 
manner  of  building,  eggs,  &c.  we  are  altogether  unacquainted. 

The  Red-shouldered  Hawk  is  nineteen  inches  in  length;  the 
head  and  back  are  brown,  seamed  and  edged  with  rusty ;  bill 
blue  black;  cere  and  legs  yellow;  greater  wing-coverts  and  se- 
condaries pale  olive  brown,  thickly  spotted  on  both  vanes  with 
white  and  pale  rusty;  primaries  very  dark,  nearly  black,  and 
barred  or  spotted  with  white;  tail  rounded,  reaching  about  an 
inch  and  a  half  beyond  the  wings,  black,  crossed  by  five  bands 
of  white,  and  broadly  tipt  with  the  same;  whole  breast  and  bel- 
ly bright  rusty,  speckled  and  spotted  with  transverse  rows  of 
white,  the  shafts  black;  chin  and  cheeks  pale  brownish,  streak- 
ed also  with  black;  iris  reddish  hazel;  vent  pale  ochre,  tipt  with 
rusty;  legs  feathered  a  little  below  the  knees,  long;  these  and 
the  feet  a  fine  yellow;  claws  black;  femorals  pale  rusty,  faintly 
barred  with  a  darker  tint. 

*  This  is  stated  by  Prince  Musignano  to  be  the  young'  male  of  the  preceding 

species. 


110  RED-SHOULDERED  HAWK. 

In  the  month  of  April  I  shot  a  female  of  this  species,  and  the 
only  one  I  have  yet  met  with,  in  a  swamp,  seven  or  eight  miles 
below  Philadelphia.  The  eggs  were,  some  of  them,  nearly  as 
large  as  peas,  from  which  circumstance  I  think  it  probable  they 
breed  in  such  solitary  parts,  even  in  this  state.  In  colour,  size 
and  markings,  it  differed  very  little  from  the  male  described 
above.  The  tail  was  scarcely  quite  so  black,  and  the  white 
bars  not  so  pure:  it  was  also  something  larger. 


SPECIES  16.     FALCO  ULIGINOSUS* 

MARSH  HAWK, 

[Plate  LI.— Fig.  1.] 

EDW.  iv,  291.— LATH,  i,  90.— Jlrct.   Zool  p.  208,  JVo.   105. — 
BARTRAM,  p.  290.— PE ALE'S  Museum.  JYU  318. 

A  DRAWING  of  this  Hawk  was  transmitted  to  Edwards  more 
than  fifty  years  ago,  by  Mr.  William  Bartram,  and  engraved 
in  Plate  291  of  Edwards'  Natural  History.  At  that  time,  and 
I  believe  till  now,  it  has  been  considered  as  a  species  peculiar 
to  this  country. 

I  have  examined  various  individuals  of  this  Hawk,  both  in 
summer  and  in  the  depth  of  winter,  and  find  them  to  corres- 
pond so  nearly  with  the  Ring-tail  of  Europe,  that  I  have  no 
doubt  of  their  being  the  same  species,  t 

This  Hawk  is  most  numerous  where  there  are  extensive  mea- 
dows and  salt  marshes,  over  which  it  sails  very  low,  making 
frequent  circuitous  sweeps  over  the  same  ground,  in  search  of 
a  species  of  mouse,  figured  in  Plate  50,  and  very  abundant  in 
such  situations.  It  occasionally  flaps  the  wings,  but  is  most  com- 
monly seen  sailing  about  within  a  few  feet  of  the  surface.  They 
are  usually  known  by  the  name  of  the  Mouse-Hawk  along  the 
coast  of  New  Jersey,  where  they  are  very  common.  Several 
were  also  brought  me  last  winter  from  the  meadows  below  Phi- 
ladelphia. Having  never  seen  its  nest,  I  am  unable  to  describe 
it  from  my  own  observation.  It  is  said,  by  European  writers, 

*  Falco  pygargus,  LINK. 

f  Tliis  opinion  of  Wilson's  is  in  accordance  with  that  of  some  recent  orni- 
thologists. We  add  the  following  Synonymes:  F.  cyaneus,  GMEL.  Syst.  i,  p. 
'276.— LATH.  Ind.  orn.  p.  39.— Ring-tail,  PEXN.  Brit.  Zool.  i,  p.  194,  No.  59. 
Hen  Harrier,  Id.  p.  193.  No.  58.— F.  pygargus,  LINN.  Syst.  i,  p.  89,  No.  9,  ed. 
10. — Circus  //uJsoniws,  VIEIL.  Oisde  1'Am.  Sept.  i,  p.  36,  pi. 9. — Busard  Saint- 
Martin,  TKMM.  Man.  d'Oni.  i,  p.  72. 


112  MARSH  HAWK. 

to  build  on  the  ground,  or  on  low  limbs  of  trees.  Pennant  ob- 
serves, that,  it  sometimes  changes  to  a  rust-coloured  variety, 
except  on  the  rump  and  tail.  It  is  found,  as  was  to  be  expected, 
at  Hudson's  Bay,  being  native  in  both  this  latitude  and  that  of 
Britain.  We  are  also  informed  that  it  is  common  in  the  open 
and  temperate  parts  of  Russia  and  Siberia;  and  extends  as  far 
as  lake  Baikal,  though  it  is  said  not  to  be  found  in  the  north  of 
Europe.  * 

The  Marsh  Hawk  is  twenty-one  inches  long,  and  three  feet 
eleven  inches  in  extent;  cere  and  legs  yellow,  the  former  ting- 
ed with  green,  the  latter  long  and  slender;  nostril  large,  trian- 
gular, this,  and  the  bj^e  of  the  bill,  thickly  covered  with  strong 
curving  hairs,  that  rise  from  the  space  between  the  eye  and  bill, 
arching  over  the  base  of  the  bill  and  cere — this  is  a  particular 
characteristic;  bill  blue,  black  at  the  end;  eye  dark  hazel;  carti- 
lage overhanging  the  eye,  and  also  the  eyelid,  bluish  green; 
spot  under  the  eye,  and  line  from  the  front  over  it,  brownish 
white;  head  above,  and  back,  dark  glossy  chocolate  brown,  the 
former  slightly  seamed  with  bright  ferruginous;  scapulars  spot- 
ted with  the  same,  under  the  surface;  lesser  coverts,  and  band 
of  the  wing,  here  and  there  edged  with  the  same;  greater  cov- 
erts and  primaries  tipt  with  whitish;  quills  deep  brown  at  the 
extreme  half,  some  of  the  outer  ones  hoary  on  the  exterior 
edge;  all  the  primaries  yellowish  white  on  the  inner  vanes  and 
upper  half,  also  barred  on  the  inner  vanes  with  black;  tail  long, 
extending  three  inches  beyond  the  wings,  rounded  at  the  end, 
and  of  a  pale  sorrel  colour,  crossed  by  four  broad  bars  of  very 
dark  brown,  the  two  middle  feathers  excepted,  which  are  bar- 
red with  deep  and  lighter  shades  of  chocolate  brown;  chin  pale 
ferruginous;  round  the  neck  a  collar  of  bright  rust  colour;  breast, 
belly  and  vent,  pale  rust,  shafted  with  brown;  femorals  long, 
tapering,  and  of  the  same  pale  rust  tint;  legs  feathered  near  an 
inch  below  the  knee.  This  was  a  female.  The  male  differs  chief- 
ly in  being  rather  lighter,  and  somewhat  less. 

*  Pallas,  as  quoted  by  Pennant. 


MARSH  HAWK.  113 

This  Hawk  is  particularly  serviceable  to  the  rice  fields  of  the 
southern  states,  by  the  havock  it  makes  among  the  clouds  of 
Rice  Buntings,  that  spread  such  devastation  among  that  grain, 
in  its  early  stage.  As  it  sails  low  and  swiftly,  over  the  surface 
of  the  field,  it  keeps  the  flocks  in  perpetual  fluctuation,  and 
greatly  interrupts  their  depredations.  The  planters  consider 
one  Marsh  Hawk  to  be  equal  to  several  negroes,  for  alarming 
the  Rice-birds.  Formerly  the  Marsh  Hawk  used  to  be  nume- 
rous along  the  Schuylkill  and  Delaware,  during  the  time  the 
seeds  of  the  Zizania  were  ripening,  and  the  Reed-birds  abun- 
dant; but  they  have  of  late  years  become  less  numerous  here. 

Pennant  considers  the  "  strong,  thick,  and  short  legs"  of 
this  species  as  specific  distinctions  from  the  Ring-tailed  Hawk; 
the  legs,  however,  are  long  and  slender;  and  a  Marsh  Hawk 
such  as  he  has  described,  with  strong,  thick  and  short  legs,  is 
no  where  to  be  found  in  the  United  States. 

NOTE — Montagu,  in  the  "  Supplement  to  the  Ornithological 
Dictionary,"  an  excellent  work,  positively  asserts,  that  the  F. 
cyaneus,  and  the  F.  pygargus,  are  the  same  species.  This  opi- 
nion the  same  writer  had  given  in  a  paper,  published  in  the  ninth 
volume  of  the  Linnean  Transactions.  If  this  be  the  fact,  the 
name  of  pygargus  must  be  retained  for  the  species,  it  being  that 
which  was  given  to  it  by  Linnajus,  in  the  tenth  edition  of  the 
Systema  Nature,  published  in  the  year  1758. — G.  Ord. 


VOL.  i. — R  i 


GENUS  3.    STRIX.  OWL. 
SPECIES  1.     STRIX  NYCTEA. 

SNOW  OWL. 
[Plate  XXXII.— Fig.  1,  Male.] 

LATHAM  i,  132,  JVo.  17.— BUFFON,  i,  387.— Great  White  Owl, 
EDW.  61.— Snowy  Owl,  Jirct.  Zool  233,  JVo.  121.— PEALE'S 
Museum,  No.  458.* 

THE  Snow  Owl  represented  in  the  plate,  is  reduced  to  half  its 
natural  size.  To  preserve  the  apparent  magnitude,  the  other 
accompanying  figures  are  drawn  by  the  same  scale. 

This  great  northern  hunter  inhabits  the  coldest  and  most 
dreary  regions  of  the  northern  hemisphere,  in  both  continents. 
The  forlorn  mountains  of  Greenland,  covered  with  eternal  ice 
and  snows,  where,  for  nearly  half  the  year,  the  silence  of  death 
and  desolation  might  almost  be  expected  to  reign,  furnish  food 
and  shelter  to  this  hardy  adventurer;  whence  he  is  only  driven 
by  the  extreme  severity  of  weather  towards  the  seashore.  He  is 
found  in  Lapland,  Norway,  and  the  country  near  Hudson's  Bay, 
during  the  whole  year;  is  said  to  be  common  in  Siberia,  and 
numerous  in  Kamtschatka.  He  is  often  seen  in  Canada,  and  the 
northern  districts  of  the  United  States;  and  sometimes  extends 
his  visits  to  the  borders  of  Florida.  Nature,  ever  provident,  has 
so  effectually  secured  this  bird  from  the  attacks  of  cold,  that  not 
even  a  point  is  left  exposed.  The  bill  is  almost  completely  hid 
among  a  mass  of  feathers,  that  cover  the  face;  the  legs  are  clothed 
with  such  an  exuberance  of  long  thick  hair-like  plumage,  as  to 
appear  nearly  as  large  as  those  of  a  middle  sized  dog,  nothing 
being  visible  but  the  claws,  which  are  large,  black,  much  hooked, 

*  We  add  the  following  synonymes: — Slrix  nj/ctea,  LINN.  Syst.  ed.  10,  i,  ;>. 
93.— -GMEL.  Syst.  r,  p.  291.— LATH.  Ind.  Orn.  p.  57.  Slrix  Candida,  Id.  Sup.  2,  p. 
14.— VIEIL.  Ois.  de  I1  Jim,  Sept.  i,  pi.  IS.— TEMM.  Man.  cf  Orn.  j,  p.  82. 


SNOW  OWL.  ll5 

and  extremely  sharp.  The  whole  plumage,  below  the  surface, 
is  of  the  most  exquisitely  soft,  warm,  and  elastic  kind;  and  so 
closely  matted  together,  as  to  make  it  a  difficult  matter  to  pene- 
trate to  the  skin. 

The  usual  food  of  this  species  is  said  to  be  hares,  grous,  rab- 
bits, ducks,  mice,  and  even  carrion.  Unlike  most  of  his  tribe, 
he  hunts  by  day  as  well  as  by  twilight,  and  is  particularly  fond 
of  frequenting  the  shores  and  banks  of  shallow  rivers,  over  the 
surface  of  which  he  slowly  sails,  or  sits  on  a  rock,  a  little  raised 
above  the  water,  watching  for  fish.  These  he  seizes  with  a  sud- 
den and  instantaneous  stroke  of  the  foot,  seldom  missing  his  aim. 
In  the  more  southern  and  thickly  settled  parts  he  is  seldom  seen; 
and  when  he  appears,  his  size,  colour,  and  singular  aspect,  at- 
tract general  notice. 

In  the  month  of  October  I  met  with  this  bird  on  Oswego  river, 
New  York,  a  little  below  the  falls,  vigilantly  watching  for  fish. 
At  Pittsburg,  in  the  month  of  February,  I  saw  another,  which 
had  been  shot  in  the  wing  some  time  before.  At  a  place  on  the 
Ohio  called  Long  Reach,  I  examined  another,  which  was  the 
first  ever  recollected  to  have  been  seen  there.  In  the  town  of 
Cincinnati,  state  of  Ohio,  two  of  these  birds  alighted  upon  the 
roof  of  the  court-house,  and  alarmed  the  whole  town.  A  people 
more  disposed  to  superstition,  would  have  deduced  some  dire 
or  fortunate  prognostication,  from  their  selecting  such  a  place; 
but  the  only  solicitude  was  how  to  get  possession  of  them,  which 
after  several  vollies  was  at  length  effected.  One  of  these,  a  fe- 
male, I  afterwards  examined,  when  on  my  way  through  that 
place  to  New  Orleans.  Near  Bairdstown,  in  Kentucky,  I  met 
with  a  large  and  very  beautiful  one,  which  appeared  to  be  al- 
together unknown  to  the  inhabitants  of  that  quarter,  and  excited 
general  surprise.  A  person  living  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Mary- 
land, shot  one  of  these  birds  a  few  months  ago,  a  female,  and, 
having  stuffed  the  skin,  brought  it  to  Philadelphia,  to  Mr.  Peale, 
in  expectation  no  doubt  of  a  great  reward.  I  have  examined 
eleven  of  these  birds  within  these  fifteen  months  last  past,  in 
different  and  very  distant  parts  of  the  country,  all  of  which 


116  SNOW  OWL. 

were  shot  either  during  winter,  late  in  the  fall,  or  early  in 
spring;  so  that  it  does  not  appear  certain  whether  any  remain 
during  summer  within  the  territory  of  the  United  States;  though 
I  think  it  highly  probable  that  a  few  do,  in  some  of  the  more 
northern  inland  parts,  where  they  are  most  numerous  during 
winter. 

The  colour  of  this  bird  is  well  suited  for  concealment,  while 
roaming  over  the  general  waste  of  snows;  and  its  flight  strong 
and  swift,  very  similar  to  that  of  some  of  our  large  Hawks.  Its 
hearing  must  be  exquisite,  if  we  judge  from  the  largeness  of 
these  organs  in  it;  and  its  voice  is  so  dismal,  that,  as  Pennant 
observes,  it  adds  horror  even  to  the  regions  of  Greenland  by  its 
hideous  cries,  resembling  those  of  a  man  in  deep  distress. 

The  male  of  this  species  measures  twenty-two  inches  and  a 
half  in  length,  and  four  feet  six  inches  in  breadth;  head  and  neck 
nearly  white,  with  a  few  small  dots  of  dull  brown  interspersed; 
eyes  deep  sunk  under  projecting  eyebrows,  the  plumage  at  their 
internal  angles  fluted  or  prest  in,  to  admit  direct  vision,  below 
this  it  bristles  up,  covering  nearly  the  whole  bill;  the  irides  are 
of  the  most  brilliant  golden  yellow,  and  the  countenance,  from 
the  proportionate  smallness  of  the  head,  projection  of  the  eye- 
brow, and  concavity  of  the  plumage  at  the  angle  of  the  eye, 
very  different  from  that  of  any  other  of  the  genus;  general  co- 
lour of  the  body  white,  marked  with  lunated  spots  of  pale  brown 
above,  and  with  semicircular  dashes  below;  femoral  feathers 
long,  and  legs  covered,  even  over  the  claws,  with  long  shaggy 
hair-like  down,  of  a  dirty  white;  the  claws,  when  exposed,  ap- 
pear large,  much  hooked,  of  a  black  colour,  and  extremely  sharp 
pointed;  back  white,  tail  rounded  at  the  end,  white,  slightly- 
dotted  with  pale  brown  near  the  tips;  wings,  when  closed,  reach 
near  the  extremity  of  the  tail;  vent  feathers  large,  strong  shafted, 
and  extending  also  to  the  point  of  the  tail;  upper  part  of  the 
breast  and  belly  plain  white;  body  very  broad  and  flat. 

The  female,  which  measures  two  feet  in  length,  and  five  feet 
two  inches  in  extent,  is  covered  more  thickly  with  spots  of  a 
much  darker  colour  than  those  on  the  male;  the  chin,  throat, 


SNOW  OWL.  117 

face,  belly  and  vent,  are  white;  femoral  feathers  white,  long 
and  shaggy,  marked  with  a  few  heart-shaped  spots  of  brown; 
legs  also  covered  to  the  claws  with  long  white  hairy  down;  rest 
of  the  plumage  white,  every  feather  spotted  or  barred  with  dark 
brown,  largest  on  the  wing  quills,  where  they  are  about  two 
inches  apart;  fore  part  of  the  crown  thickly  marked  with  round- 
ish black  spots;  tail  crossed  with  bands  of  broad  brownish  spots; 
shafts  of  all  the  plumage  white;  bill  and  claws,  as  in  the  male, 
black;  third  and  fourth  wing  quill  the  longest,  span  of  the  foot 
four  inches. 

From  the  various  individuals  of  these  birds  which  I  have  ex- 
amined, I  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  male  alone  approaches 
nearly  to  white  in  his  plumage,  the  female  rarely  or  never.  The 
bird  from  which  the  figure  in  the  plate  was  drawn,  was  killed 
at  Egg-Harbour,  New  Jersey,  in  the  month  of  December.  The 
conformation  of  the  eye  of  this  bird  forms  a  curious  and  inte- 
resting subject  to  the  young  anatomist.  The  globe  of  the  eye  is 
immoveably  fixed  in  its  socket,  by  a  strong,  elastic,  hard,  car- 
tilaginous case,  in  form  of  a  truncated  cone;  this  case  being 
closely  covered  with  a  skin,  appears  at  first  to  be  of  one  con- 
tinued piece;  but  on  removing  the  exterior  membrane  it  is  found 
to  be  formed  of  fifteen  pieces,  placed  like  the  staves  of  a  cask, 
overlapping  a  little  at  the  base  or  narrow  end,  and  seem  as  if 
capable  of  being  enlarged  or  contracted,  perhaps  by  the  muscu- 
lar membrane  with  which  they  are  encased.  In  five  other  diffe- 
rent species  of  Owls,  which  I  have  since  examined,  I  found 
nearly  the  same  conformation  of  this  organ,  and  exactly  the 
same  number  of  staves.  The  eye  being  thus  fixed,  these  birds, 
as  they  view  different  objects,  are  always  obliged  to  turn  the 
head;  and  nature  has  so  excellently  adapted  their  neck  to  this 
purpose,  that  they  can,  with  ease,  turn  it  round,  without  mov- 
ing the  body,  in  almost  a  complete  circle. 


SPECIES  2.  STRIX  HUDSONM* 

HAWK  OWL. 
[Plate  L.— Fig.  6.] 

Little  Hawk  Owl,  EDW.  62.— LATH,  i,  142,  JV*o.  29.— Phil.  Trans. 
61.  385. — Le  Chat-huant  de  Canada,  Bmss.  i,  518. — BUFF,  i, 
391. — Chouette  A  longue  queue  de  Siberie,  PL  enl.  463. — Jlrct. 
Zool.  p.  234,  No.  123.— PEALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  500. 

THIS  is  another  inhabitant  of  both  continents,  a  kind  of  equi- 
vocal species,  or  rather  a  connecting  link  between  the  Hawk 
and  Owl  tribes,  resembling  the  latter  in  the  feet,  and  in  the 
radiating  feathers  round  the  eye  and  bill;  but  approaching 
nearer  to  the  former  in  the  smallness  of  its  head,  narrowness 
of  its  face,  and  in  its  length  of  tail.  In  short,  it  seems  just  such 
a  figure  as  one  would  expect  to  see  generated  between  a  Hawk 
and  an  Owl  of  the  same  size,  were  it  possible  for  them  to  pro- 
duce; and  yet  it  is  as  distinct,  independent,  and  original  a  spe- 
cies, as  any  other.  The  figure  in  the  plate  is  reduced  to  one 
half  the  size  of  life.  It  has  also  another  strong  trait  of  the  Hawk 
tribe,  in  flying  and  preying  by  day,  contrary  to  the  general 
habit  of  Owls.  It  is  characterized  as  a  bold  and  active  species, 
following  the  fowler,  and  carrying  off  his  game  as  soon  as  it  is 
shot.  It  is  said  to  prey  on  Partridges  and  other  birds;  and  is 
very  common  at  Hudson's  Bay;  where  it  is  called  by  the  Indi- 
ans CoparacochA  We  are  also  informed  that  this  same  species 
inhabits  Denmark  and  Sweden,  is  frequent  in  all  Siberia,  and 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Uralian  chain,  as  far  as  Casan  and  the 
Volga;  but  not  in  Russia.:}:  It  was  also  seen  by  the  navigators 
near  Sandwich  sound,  in  lat.  61°  north. 

*  StrixJ \iner ca,  Lisrx.,  which  name  must  be  adopted, 
f  Edwards.  t  Pennant. 


HAWK  OWL.  119 

This  species  is  very  rare  in  Pennsylvania,  and  the  more 
southern  parts  of  the  United  States.  Its  favourite  range  seems 
to  be  along  the  borders  of  the  arctic  regions,  making  occasional 
excursions  southwardly,  when  compelled  by  severity  of  wea- 
ther, and  consequent  scarcity  of  food.  I  sometime  ago  received 
a  drawing  of  this  bird  from  the  District  of  Maine,  where  it  was 
considered  rare;  that,  and  the  specimen  from  which  the  draw- 
ing in  the  plate  was  taken,  which  was  shot  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Philadelphia,  are  the  only  two  that  have  come  under 
my  notice.  These  having  luckily  happened  to  be  male  and 
female,  have  enabled  me  to  give  a  description  of  both.  Of  their 
nest,  or  manner  of  breeding,  we  have  no  account. 

The  male  of  this  species  is  fifteen  inches  long;  the  bill  orange 
yellow,  and  almost  hid  among  the  feathers;  plumage  of  the  chin 
curving  up  over  the  under  mandible;  eyes  bright  orange;  head 
small;  face  narrow,  and  with  very  little  concavity;  cheeks  white; 
crown  and  hind-head  dusky  black,  thickly  marked  with  round 
spots  of  white;  sides  of  the  neck  marked  with  a  large  curving 
streak  of  brown  black,  with  another  a  little  behind  it  of  a  tri- 
angular form;  back,  scapulars,  rump  and  tail-coverts,  brown 
olive,  thickly  speckled  with  broad  spots  of  white;  the  tail  ex- 
tends three  inches  beyond  the  tips  of  the  wings,  is  of  a  brown 
olive  colour,  and  crossed  with  six  or  seven  narrow  bars  of  white, 
rounded  at  the  end,  and  also  tipt  with  white;  the  breast  and 
chin  are  marked  with  a  large  spot  of  brown  olive;  upper  part 
of  the  breast  light,  lower,  and  all  the  parts  below,  elegantly 
barred  with  dark  brown  and  white;  legs  and  feet  covered  to, 
and  beyond  the  claws,  with  long  whitish  plumage,  slightly  yel- 
low, and  barred  with  fine  lines  of  olive;  claws  horn  colour.  The 
weight  of  this  bird  was  twelve  ounces. 

The  female  is  much  darker  above;  the  quills  are  nearly  black, 
and  the  upper  part  of  the  breast  is  blotched  with  deep  blackish 
brown. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  in  all  Owls  that  fly  by  night, 
the  exterior  edges  and  sides  of  the  wing  quills  are  slightly  re- 
curved, and  end  in  fine  hairs  or  points;  by  which  means  the  bird 


120  HAWK  OWL. 

is  enabled  to  pass  through  the  air  with  the  greatest  silence,  a 
provision  necessary  for  enabling  them  the  better  to  surprise  their 
prey.  In  the  Hawk  Owl  now  before  us,  which  flies  by  day, 
and  to  whom  this  contrivance  would  be  of  no  consequence,  it 
is  accordingly  omitted,  or  at  least  is  scarcely  observable.  So 
judicious,  so  wise  and  perfectly  applicable,  are  all  the  dispositions 
of  the  Creator. 


SPECIES  3.    STRIX  NEBULOSJ. 

BARRED  OWL. 
[Plate  XXXIII. —Fig.  2.] 

TURTON,  Syst.  169.— Arct.  Zool.  p.  234,  JVo.  122. — LATH.  133. — 
Strix  acclamator,  the  Wliooting  Owl,  BARTHAM,289. — PEALE'S 
Museum,  No.  464.* 

THIS  is  one  of  our  most  common  Owls.  In  winter,  particu- 
larly, it  is  numerous  in  the  lower  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  among 
the  woods  that  border  the  extensive  meadows  of  Schuylkill 
and  Delaware.  It  is  very  frequently  observed  flying  during 
day,  and  certainly  sees  more  distinctly,  at  that  time,  than  many 
of  its  genus.  In  one  spring,  at  different  times,  I  met  with  more 
than  forty  of  them,  generally  flying,  or  sitting  exposed.  I  also 
once  met  with  one  of  their  nests,  containing  three  young,  in 
the  crotch  of  a  white-oak,  among  thick  foliage.  The  nest  was 
rudely  put  together,  composed  outwardly  of  sticks,  intermixed 
with  some  dry  grass,  and  leaves,  and  lined  with  smaller  twigs. 
At  another  time,  in  passing  through  the  woods,  I  perceived 
something  white,  on  the  high  shaded  branch  of  a  tree,  close  to 
the  trunk,  that,  as  I  thought,  looked  like  a  cat  asleep.  Unable 
to  satisfy  myself,  I  was  induced  to  fire,  when,  to  my  surprise 
and  regret,  four  young  Owls,  of  this  same  species,  nearly  full 
grown,  came  down  headlong,  and  fluttering  for  a  few  moments, 
died  at  my  feet.  Their  nest  was  probably  not  far  distant.  I  have 
also  seen  the  eggs  of  this  species,  which  are  nearly  as  large  as 
those  of  a  young  pullet,  but  much  more  globular,  and  perfectly 
white. 

These  birds  sometimes  seize  on  fowls,  partridges,  and  young 
rabbits;  mice,  and  small  game,  are,  however,  their  most  usual 

*  We  add  the  folio  wing  synonymes:  Stri-x  nebulosa,  .LATH.  7/irf.  Orn.  p.  58. — 
GMEL.  Sjfs/.  i,  p.  291.— TKMM.  Man.  d'Orn.  i,  p.  88. 
VOL.  I S  S 


122  BARRED  OWL. 

food.  The  difference  of  size  between  the  male  and  female  of 
this  Owl  is  extraordinary,  amounting,  sometimes,  to  nearly 
eight  inches  in  the  length.  Both  scream  during  the  day  like  a 
Hawk. 

The  male  Barred  Owl  measures  sixteen  inches  and  a  half  in 
length,  and  thirty-eight  inches  in  extent;  upper  parts  a  pale 
brown,  marked  with  transverse  spots  of  white;  wings  barred 
with  alternate  bands  of  pale  brown  and  darker;  head  smooth, 
very  large,  mottled  with  transverse  touches  of  dark  brown,  pale 
brown  and  white;  eyes  large,  deep  blue,  the  pupil  not  per- 
ceivable; face,  or  radiated  circle  of  the  eyes,  gray,  surrounded 
by  an  outline  of  brown  and  white  dots;  bill  yellow,  tinged  with 
green;  breast  barred  transversely  with  rows  of  brown  and  white; 
belly  streaked  longitudinally  with  long  stripes  of  brown,  on  a 
yellowish  ground;  vent  plain  yellowish  white;  thighs  and  feath- 
ered legs  the  same,  slightly  pointed  with  brown;  toes  nearly 
covered  with  plumage;  claws  dark  horn  colour,  very  sharp;  tail 
rounded,  and  remarkably  concave  below,  barred  with  six  broad 
bars  of  brown,  and  as  many  narrow  ones  of  white;  the  back  and 
shoulders  have  a  cast  of  chesnut;  at  each  internal  angle  of  the 
eye  is  a  broad  spot  of  black;  the  plumage  of  the  radiated  circle 
round  the  eye  ends  in  long  black  hairs;  and  the  bill  is  encom- 
passed by  others  of  a  longer  and  more  bristly  kind.  These, 
probably,  serve  to  guard,  the  eye  when  any  danger  approaches 
it,  in  sweeping  hastily  through  the  woods;  and  those  usually 
found  on  Flycatchers,  may  have  the  same  intention  to  fulfil; 
for  on  the  slightest  touch  of  the  point  of  any  of  these  hairs,  the 
nictitating  membrane  was  instantly  thrown  over  the  eye. 

The  female  is  twenty-two  inches  long,  and  four  feet  in  ex- 
tent; the  chief  difference  of  colour  consists  in  her  wings  being 
broadly  spotted  with  white;  the  shoulder  being  a  plain  chocolate 
brown;  the  tail  extends  considerably  beyond  the  tips  of  the 
wings;  the  bill  is  much  larger,  and  of  a  more  golden  yellow; 
iris  of  the  eye  the  same  as  that  of  the  male. 

The  different  character  of  the  feathers  of  this,  and  I  believe 
of  most  Owls,  is  really  surprising.  Those  that  surround  the 


*  * 


• 
BARRED  OWL.  .  123 


bill,  differ  little  from  bristles;  those  that  surround  the  region 
of  the  eyes,  are  exceeding  open,  and  unwebbed ;  these  are  bound- 
ed by  another  set,  generally  proceeding  from  the  external  edge 
of  the  ear,  of  a  most  peculiar,  small,  narrow,  velvetty  kind, 
whose  fibres  are  so  exquisitely  fine,  as  to  be  invisible  to  the 
naked  eye;  above,  the  plumage  has  one  general  character  at  the 
surface,  calculated  to  repel  rain  and  moisture;  but  towards  the 
roots,  it  is  of  the  most  soft,  loose,  and  downy  substance,  in  na- 
ture, so  much  so,  that  it  may  be  touched  without  being  felt;  the 
webs  of  the  wing  quills  are  also  of  a  delicate  softness,  covered 
with  an  almost  imperceptible  hair,  and  edged  with  a  loose  silky 
down,  so  that  the  owner  passes  through  the  air  without  inter- 
rupting the  most  profound  silence.  Who  cannot  perceive  the 
hand  of  God  in  all  these  things! 


SPECIES  4.     STRIX  FLAMMED. 

WHITE,  OR  BARN  OWL. 

[Plate  L.— Fig.  2.] 

LATH,  i,  138.— Jlrct.  ZooL  p.  235,  «,Vo.  124.— Phil  7V«ns.  in, 
\58.-UEffraie,  ou  la  Fresaie,  BUFF,  i,  366,  pi.  26.  PL  enl. 
440. — BEWICK'S  British  Birds,  i,  p.  89. — Common  Owl,  TURT. 
Syst.p,  170.— -PEALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  486. 

THIS  Owl,  though  so  common  in  Europe,  is  rare  in  this  part 
of  the  United  States;  and  is  only  found  here  during  very  severe 
winters.  This  may  possibly  be  owing  to  the  want  of  those  fa- 
vourite recesses,  which  it  so  much  affects  in  the  eastern  conti- 
nent. The  multitudes  of  old  ruined  castles,  towers,  monaste- 
ries and  cathedrals,  that  every  where  rise  to  view  in  those 
countries,  are  the  chosen  haunts  of  this  well  known  species.  Its 
savage  cries  at  night  give,  with  vulgar  minds,  a  cast  of  super- 
natural horror  to  those  venerable  mouldering  piles  of  antiquity. 
This  species,  being  common  to  both  continents,  doubtless  ex- 
tends to  the  arctic  regions.  It  also  inhabits  Tartary,  where, 
according  to  Pennant,  "  the  Monguls  and  natives  almost  pay  it 
divine  honours,  because  they  attribute  to  this  species  the  pre- 
servation of  the  founder  of  their  empire,  Cinghis  Khan.  That 
prince,  with  his  small  army,  happened  to  be  surprised  and  put 
to  flight  by  his  enemies,  and  forced  to  conceal  himself  in  a  little 
coppice:  an  Owl  settled  on  the  bush  under  which  he  was  hid, 
and  induced  his  pursuers  not  to  search  there,  as  they  thought  it 
impossible  that  any  man  could  be  concealed  in  a  place  where 
that  bird  would  perch.  From  thenceforth  they  held  it  to  be 
sacred,  and  every  one  wore  a  plume  of  the  feathers  of  this  spe- 
cies on  his  head.  To  this  day  the  Kalmucs  continue  the  custom 


WHITE,  Oli  BARN  OWL.  125 

on  all  great  festivals;  and  some  tribes  have  an  idol  in  form  of  an 
Owl,  to  which  they  fasten  the  real  legs  of  one."* 

This  species  is  rarely  found  in  Pennsylvania  in  summer.  Of 
its  place  and  manner  of  building  I  am  unable,  from  my  own 
observation,  to  speak.  The  bird  itself  has  been  several  times 
found  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree,  and  was  once  caught  in  a  barn  in 
my  neighbourhood.  European  writers  inform  us,  that  it  makes 
no  nest;  but  deposits  its  eggs  in  the  holes  of  walls,  and  lays  five 
or  six  of  a  whitish  colour;  is  said  to  feed  on  mice  and  small 
birds,  which,  like  the  most  of  its  tribe,  it  swallows  whole,  and 
afterwards  emits  the  bones,  feathers,  and  other  indigestible  parts, 
at  its  mouth,  in  the  form  of  small  round  cakes,  which  are  often 
found  in  the  empty  buildings  it  frequents.  During  its  repose  it 
is  said  to  make  a  blowing  noise,  resembling  the  snoring  of  a 
man.t 

It  is  distinguished  in  England  by  various  names,  the  Barn 
Owl,  the  Church  Owl,  Gillihowlet  and  Screech  Owl.  In  the 
lowlands  of  Scotland  it  is  universally  called  the  Hoolet. 

The  White  or  Barn  Owl  is  fourteen  inches  long,  and  upwards 
of  three  feet  six  inches  in  extent;  bill  a  whitish  horn  colour, 
longer  than  is  usual  among  its  tribe;  space  surrounding  each  eye 
remarkably  concave,  the  radiating  feathers  meeting  in  a  high 
projecting  ridge,  arching  from  the  bill  upwards;  between  these 
lies  a  thick  tuft  of  bright  tawny  feathers,  that  are  scarcely  seen 
unless  the  ridges  be  separated;  face  white,  surrounded  by  a  bor- 
der of  narrow,  thickset,  velvetty  feathers,  of  a  reddish  cream 
colour  at  the  tip,  pure  silvery  white  below,  and  finely  shafted 
with  black;  whole  upper  parts  a  bright  tawny  yellow,  thickly 
sprinkled  with  whitish  and  pale  purple,  and  beautifully  inter- 
spersed with  larger  drops  of  white,  each  feather  of  the  back  and 
wing-coverts  ending  in  an  oblong  spot  of  white,  bounded  by 
black;  head  large,  tumid;  sides  of  the  neck  pale  yellow  ochre, 
thinly  sprinkled  with  small  touches  of  dusky;  primaries  and 
secondaries  the  same,  thinly  barred  and  thickly  sprinkled  with 

*  Arct.  Zool.  p.  235.  t  Bewick,  i,  p.  90. 


126  WHITE,   OR  BARN  OWL. 

dull  purplish  brown;  tail  two  inches  shorter  than  the  tips  of  the 
wings,  even,  or  very  slightly  forked,  pale  yellowish,  crossed 
with  five  bars  of  brown,  and  thickly  dotted  with  the  same; 
whole  lower  parts  pure  white,  thinly  interspersed  with  small 
round  spots  of  blackish;  thighs  the  same,  legs  long,  thinly  co- 
vered with  short  white  down,  nearly  to  the  feet,  which  are  of 
a  dirty  white,  and  thickly  warted;  toes  thinly  clad  with  white 
hairs;  legs  and  feet  large  and  clumsy.  The  ridge  or  shoulder  of 
the  wing  is  tinged  with  bright  orange  brown.  The  aged  bird  is 
more  white;  in  some,  the  spots  of  black  on  the  breast  are  want- 
ing, and  the  colour  below  a  pale  yellow;  in  others  a  pure"  white. 

The  female  measures  fifteen  inches  and  a  half  in  length,  and 
three  feet  eight  inches  in  extent;  is  much  darker  above;  the 
lower  parts  tinged  with  tawny,  and  marked  also  with  round 
spots  of  black.  One  of  these  was  lately  sent  me,  which  was  shot 
on  the  border  of  the  meadows  below  Philadelphia.  Its  stomach 
contained  the  mangled  carcasses  of  four  large  meadow  mice, 
hair,  bones  and  all.  The  common  practice  of  most  Owls  is, 
after  breaking  the  bones,  to  swallow  the  mouse  entire;  the 
bones,  hair,  and  other  indigestible  parts,  are  afterwards  dis- 
charged from  the  mouth,  in  large  roundish  dry  balls,  that  are 
frequently  met  with  in  such  places  as  these  birds  usually  haunt. 

As  the  Meadow-mouse  is  so  eagerly  sought  after  by  those 
birds,  and  also  by  great  numbers  of  Hawks,  which  regularly,  at 
the  commencement  of  winter,  resort  to  the  meadows  below  Phi- 
ladelphia, and  to  the  marshes  along  the  seashore,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  feeding  on  these  little  animals,  some  account  of  them 
may  not  be  improper  in  this  place.  Fig.  3  represents  the  Mea- 
dow-mouse drawn  by  the  same  scale,  viz.  reduced  to  one  half 
its  natural  dimensions.  This  species  appears  not  to  have  been 
taken  notice  of  by  Turton,  in  his  translation  of  Gmelin's  Lin- 
naeus. From  the  nose  to  the  insertion  of  the  tail  it  measures 
four  inches;  the  tail  is  between  three  quarters  and  an  inch  long, 
hairy,  and  usually  curves  upwards;  the  fore  feet  are  short,  five- 
toed,  the  inner  toe  very  short,  but  furnished  with  a  claw;  hind 
feet  also  five-toed;  the  ears  are  shorter  than  the  fur,  through 


WHITE,  OR  BARN  OWL.  127 

which,  though  large,  they  are  scarcely  noticeable;  the  nose  is 
blunt;  the  colour  of  the  back  is  dark  brown,  that  of  the  belly 
hoary;  the  fur  is  long  and  extremely  fine;  the  hind  feet  are 
placed  very  far  back,  and  are  also  short;  the  eyes  exceeding 
small.  This  mischievous  creature  is  a  great  pest  to  the  meadows, 
burrowing  in  them  in  every  direction;  but  is  particularly  inju- 
rious to  the  imbankments  raised  along  the  river,  perforating 
them  in  numerous  directions,  and  admitting  the  water,  which 
afterwards  increases  to  dangerous  breaches,  inundating  large  ex- 
tents of  these  low  grounds,  and  thus  becoming  the  instruments 
of  their  own  destruction.  In  their  general  figure  they  bear  great 
resemblance  to  the  common  musk-rat,  and,  like  them,  swim 
and  dive  well.  They  feed  on  the  bulbous  roots  of  plants,  and 
also  on  garlic,  of  which  they  are  remarkably  fond.* 

Another  favourite  prey  of  most  of  our  Owls  is  the  bat,  one 
species  of  which  is  represented  at  fig.  4,  as  it  hung  during  the 
day  in  the  woods  where  I  found  it.  This  also  appears  to  be  a 
nondescript.  The  length  of  this  bat,  from  the  nose  to  the  tip  of 
the  tail,  is  four  inches;  the  tail  itself  is  as  long  as  the  body,  but 
generally  curls  up  inwards;  the  general  colour  is  a  bright  iron 

*  As  Wilson  conj  ectured,  this  animal  was  a  nondescript.  It  being  a  Campagnol, 
it  may  be  classed  under  the  name  of  rfrvicola  Pennsylvanicus;  as  it  is  the  same  ani- 
mal which  was  introduced  into  my  catalogue  of  Mammalia,  under  that  trivial  de- 
nomination. As  far  as  our  information  extends,  the  female  brings  forth  only  two 
young-  at  a  litter.  Her  two  teats  are  inguinal;  and  the  young,  by  holding  on  to 
them,  are  transported  by  the  mother  whithersoever  she  goes — that  is,  when 
they  are  inclined  to  accompany  her;  when  dragged  along,  their  position  is  be- 
tween her  hind  legs;  and  she  can  run  with  them  hanging  to  her,  as  stated, 
with  considerable  swiftness. 

Dr.  Leach,  in  the  Zoological  Miscellany,  vol.  i,  p.  60,  figured  and  described 
a  Campagnol,  which  had  been  received  from  Hudson's  Bay.  This  animal, 
which  was  named  Jl.  xanthognatha,  has  been  mistaken,  by  some  naturalists,  for 
the  present  species,  which  is  not  half  its  size:  the  Fulvous-cheeked  Campag- 
nol measures,  from  the  tip  of  its  nose  to  the  base  of  its  tail,  at  least  nine  inches, 
whilst  the  admeasurement  of  ours  is  not  more  than  four  inches.  Dr.  Leach's 
description  is  too  imperfect:  it  lacks  those  details  which  are  essential  in  dis- 
criminating species.  The  size  of  his  animal  we  infer  from  his  figure,  which  he 
says  is  "  rather  less  than  half  of  the  natural  size."— G.  Ord. 


128  WHITE,  OR  BARN  OWL, 

gray,  the  fur  being  of  a  reddish  cream  at  bottom,  then  strongly 
tinged  with  lake,  and  minutely  tipt  with  white ;  the  ears  are 
scarcely  half  an  inch  long,  with  two  slight  valves;  the  nostrils 
are  somewhat  tubular;  fore  teeth  in  the  upper  jaw,  none — in 
the  lower,  four,  not  reckoning  the  tusks;  the  eyes  are  very 
small  black  points;  the  chin,  upper  part  of  the  breast  and  head, 
are  of  a  plain  reddish  cream  colour;  the  wings  have  a  single 
hook  or  claw  each,  and  are  so  constructed,  that  the  animal  may 
hang  either  with  its  head  or  tail  downward.  I  have  several 
times  found  two  hanging  fast  locked  together  behind  a  leaf,  the 
hook  of  one  fixed  in  the  mouth  of  the  other;  the  hind  feet  are 
furnished  with  five  toes,  sharp-clawed;  the  membrane  of  the 
wings  is  dusky,  shafts  light  brown;  extent  twelve  inches.  In  a 
cave,  not  far  from  Carlisle  in  Pennsylvania,  I  found  a  number 
of  these  bats  in  the  depth  of  winter,  in  very  severe  weather; 
they  were  lying  on  the  projecting  shelves  of  the  rocks,  and 
when  the  brand  of  fire  was  held  near  them,  wrinkled  up  their 
mouths,  showing  their  teeth;  when  held  in  the  hand  for  a  short 
time,  they  became  active,  and  after  being  carried  into  a  stove 
room,  flew  about  as  lively  as  ever.  * 

*  This  species  Dr.  Godman  calls  the  Vesjierlilio  novcboracensis  of  Linnaeus. 
See  his  American  Natural  History,  vol.  i,  p.  48.  Wilson,  it  should  seem,  was 
of  a  different  opinion. 


SPECIES  5.     STRIX  PASSERINE. 

LITTLE  OWL. 
[Plate  XXXIV.— Fig.  1.] 

Jirct.  ZooL  236,  No.  126. — TURTON,  Syst.  172. — PEALE'S  Museum, 

No.  522.* 

THIS  is  one  of  the  least  of  its  whole  genus,  but  like  many 
other  little  folks,  makes  up  in  neatness  of  general  form  and  ap- 
pearance, for  deficiency  of  size,  and  is  perhaps  the  most  shape- 
ly of  all  our  Owls.  Nor  are  the  colours  and  markings  of  its  plu- 
mage inferior  in  simplicity  and  effect  to  most  others.  It  also 
possesses  an  eye  fully  equal  in  spirit  and  brilliancy  to  the  best 
of  them. 

This  species  is  a  general  and  constant  inhabitant  of  the  mid- 
dle and  northern  states;  but  is  found  most  numerous  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  seashore,  and  among  woods  and  swamps 
of  pine  trees.  It  rarely  rambles  much  during  day;  but  if  dis- 
turbed, flies  a  short  way,  and  again  takes  shelter  from  the 
light;  at  the  approach  of  twilight  it  is  all  life  and  activity;  being 
a  noted  and  dexterous  mouse-catcher.  It  is  found  as  far  north 
as  Nova  Scotia,  and  even  Hudson's  Bay;  is  frequent  in  Russia; 
builds  its  nest  generally  in  pines,  half  way  up  the  tree,  and  lays 
two  eggs,  which,  like  those  of  the  rest  of  its  genus,  are  white. 
The  melancholy  and  gloomy  umbrage  of  those  solitary  ever- 
greens forms  its  favourite  haunts;  where  it  sits  dosing  and  slum- 
bering all  day,  lulled  by  the  roar  of  the  neighbouring  ocean. 

*  We  add  the  following1  synonymes:  Slrix  passtrina,  LINX.  Syst.  ed.  10,  vol. 
i,  p.  93.— GMEL.  Syst.  T,  p.  296,  No.  12.— Strix  acadiensis,  LATH.  Ind.  Om. 
p.  65. — S.  ucadica,  GMEL.  Syst.  i,  p.  296,  No.  43. — TEJIM.  Man.  d'Orn.  i,  p. 
92. 

VOL.  I. — T  t 


130  LITTLE  OWL.  ,J 

The  Little  Owl  is  seven  inches  and  a  half  long,  and  eighteen 
inches  in  extent;  the  upper  parts  are  a  plain  brown  olive,  the 
scapulars,  and  some  of  the  greater  and  lesser  coverts,  being 
spotted  with  white;  the  first  five  primaries  are  crossed  oblique- 
ly with  five  bars  of  white;  tail  rounded,  rather  darker  than  the 
body,  crossed  with  two  rows  of  white  spots,  and  tipt  with  white; 
whole  interior  vanes  of  the  wings  spotted  with  the  same;  auric- 
ulars  yellowish  brown;  crown,  upper  part  of  the  neck,  and  cir- 
cle surrounding  the  ears,  beautifully  marked  with  numerous 
points  of  white,  on  an  olive  brown  ground ;  front  pure  white, 
ending  in  long  blackish  hairs;  at  the  internal  angle  of  the  eyes, 
a  broad  spot  of  black,  radiating  outwards;  irides  pale  yellow; 
bill  a  blackish  horn  colour,  lower  parts  streaked  with  yellow 
ochre  and  reddish  bay;  thighs  and  feathered  legs  pale  buff;  toes 
covered  to  the  claws,  which  are  black,  large,  and  sharp  pointed. 

The  bird  from  which  the  foregoing  figure  and  description 
were  taken,  was  shot  on  the  seashore,  near  Great  Egg-harbour, 
in  New  Jersey,  in  the  month  of  November;  and  on  dissection 
was  found  to  be  a  female.  Turton  describes  a  species  called  the 
White-fronted  Owl,  (8.  albifrons,)  which  in  every  thing,  ex- 
cept the  size,  agrees  with  this  bird,  and  has  very  probably  been 
taken  from  a  young  male;  which  is  sometimes  found  considera- 
bly less  than  the  female. 


SPECIES  6.     STRIX  BRACHYO  TOS. 

SHORT-EARED  OWL. 

[Plate  XXXIII. —Fig.   3.] 

TURTON,  St/st.p.  167,—Jlrct.  Zool.  p.  229,  JVb.  116.— LATH,  i, 
124. — La  Chomttt,  ou  la  grand  Cheveche,  BUFF,  i,  PI.  enl. 
438.— PEALE'S  Museum,  «7Vo.  440.* 

THIS  is  another  species  common  to  both  continents,  being 
found  in  Britain  as  far  north  as  the  Orkney  isles,  where  it  also 
breeds;  building  its  nest  upon  the  ground,  amidst  the  heath;  ar- 
rives and  disappears  in  the  south  parts  of  England  with  the 
Woodcock,  that  is  in  October  and  April;  consequently  does  not 
breed  there.     It  is  called  at  Hudson's  bay  the  Mouse  Hawk; 
and  is  described  as  not  flying  like  other  Owls  in  search  of  prey; 
but  sitting  quiet  on  a  stump  of  a  tree,  watching  for  mice.    It  is 
said  to  be  found  in  plenty  in  the  woods  near  Chatteau  bay,  on 
the  coast  of  Labrador.    In  the  United  States  it  is  also  a  bird  of 
passage,  coming  to  us  from  the  north  in  November,  and  depart- 
ing in  April.     The  bird  represented  in  the  plate  was  shot  in 
New  Jersey,  a  few  miles  below  Philadelphia,  in  a  thicket  of 
pines.     It  has  the  stern  aspect  of  a  keen,  vigorous,  and  active 
bird;  and  is  reputed  to  be  an  excellent  mouser.   It  flies  frequent- 
ly by  day,  particularly  in  dark  cloudy  weather,  takes  short 
flights,  and,  when  sitting  and  looking  sharply  around,  erects 
the  two  slight  feathers  that  constitute  its  horns,  which  are  at 
such  times  very  noticeable;  but  otherwise  not  perceivable.  No 
person,  on  slightly  examining  this  bird  after  being  shot,  would 
suspect  it  to  be  furnished  with  horns;  nor  are  they  discovered 
but  by  careful  search,  or  previous  observation  on  the  living  bird. 

*  We  add  the  following1  synonymes:  Strix  brachyotos,  LATH.  Ind.  Orn.  p.  55. 
—  Strix  Uhda,  Liww.  Syst.  ed.  10,  p.  93—TEMX.  Man.  d'  Orn.  i,  p.  99. 


132  SHORT-EARED  OWL. 

Bewick,  in  his  History  of  British  Birds,  remarks,  that  this  spe- 
cies is  sometimes  seen  in  companies;  twenty-eight  of  them  being 
once  counted  in  a  turnip  field  in  November. 

Length  fifteen  inches,  extent  three  feet  four  inches;  general 
colour  above  dark  brown,  the  feathers  broadly  skirted  with  pale 
yellowish  brown;  bill  large,  black;  irides  rich  golden  yellow, 
placed  in  a  bed  of  deep  black,  which  radiates  outwards  all  around, 
except  towards  the  bill,  where  the  plumage  is  whitish ;  ears  bor- 
dered with  a  semicircular  line  of  black  and  tawny  yellow  dots; 
tail  rounded,  longer  than  usual  with  Owls,  crossed  with  five 
bands  of  dark  brown,  and  as  many  of  yellow  ochre,  some  of  the 
latter  have  central  spots  of  dark  brown,  the  whole  tipt  with 
white;  quills  also  banded  with  dark  brown  and  yellow  ochre; 
breast  and  belly  streaked  with  dark  brown,  on  a  ground  of  yel- 
lowish; legs,  thighs  and  vent,  plain  dull  yellow;  tips  of  the  three 
first  quill  feathers  black;  legs  clothed  to  the  claws,  which  are 
black,  curved  to  about  the  quarter  of  a  circle,  and  exceedingly 
sharp. 

The  female  I  have  never  seen ;  but  she  is  said  to  be  somewhat 
larger  and  much  darker;  and  the  spots  on  the  breast  larger  and 
more  numerous. 


SPECIES  7.    STRIX  VIRGINIANS. 

GREAT  HORNED-OWL. 

[Plate  L.— Fig.  1.] 

Arct.  Zool.  p.  228,  No.  114.— EDW.  60. — LATH,  r,  119.— TUBT. 
Syst.p.  166. — PEALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  410.* 

THE  figure  of  this  bird,  as  well  as  of  those  represented  in 
the  same  plate,  is  reduced  to  one  half  its  natural  dimensions. 
By  the  same  scale,  the  greater  part  of  the  Hawks  and  Owls  of 
the  present  volume!  are  drawn;  their  real  magnitude  rendering 
this  unavoidable. 

This  noted  and  formidable  Owl  is  found  in  almost  every 
quarter  of  the  United  States.  His  favourite  residence,  how- 
ever, is  in  the  dark  solitudes  of  deep  swamps,  covered  with  a 
growth  of  gigantic  timber;  and  here,  as  soon  as  evening  draws 
on,  and  mankind  retire  to  rest,  he  sends  forth  such  sounds,  as 
seem  scarcely  to  belong  to  this  world,  startling  the  solitary  pil- 
grim as  he  slumbers  by  his  forest  fire, 

"  Making  night  hideous." 

Along  the  mountainous  shores  of  the  Ohio,  and  amidst  the  deep 
forests  of  Indiana,  alone,  and  reposing  in  the  woods,  this  ghost- 
ly watchman  frequently  warned  me  of  the  approach  of  morn- 
ing, and  amused  me  with  his  singular  exclamations;  sometimes 
sweeping  down  and  around  my  fire,  uttering  a  loud  and  sudden 
Waugh  O!  Waugh  0!  sufficient  to  have  alarmed  a  whole  gar- 

*  We  add  the  following-  synonymes:  Hibou  des  Terres  Magtllaniques,  BUFF. 
PI.  Enl.  385.— Bubo  Virginianus,  BRISS.  i,  p.  484. — Strix  Virginiana,  Ind.  Orn. 
p.  52.— GMEI.  Syst.  i,  p.  287.—  Virginian  Eared  Owl,  LATH.  den.  Syn.  Supl 
vi,  p.  40. 

f  Volume  vi  of  the  original  edition. 


134  GREAT   HORNED-OWL. 

rison.  He  has  other  nocturnal  solos,  no  less  melodious,  one  of 
which  very  strikingly  resembles  the  half-suppressed  screams  of 
a  person  suffocating,  or  throttled,  and  cannot  fail  of  being  ex- 
ceedingly entertaining  to  a  lonely  benighted  traveller,  in  the 
midst  of  an  Indian  wilderness. 

This  species  inhabits  the  country  round  Hudson's  Bay;  and, 
according  to  Pennant,  who  considers  it  a  mere  variety  of  the 
Eagle  Owl,  (Strix  bubo)  of  Europe,  is  found  in  Kamtschatka; 
extends  even  to  the  arctic  regions,  where  it  is  often  found  white; 
and  occurs  as  low  as  Astrakan.  It  has  also  been  seen  white  in 
the  United  States;  but  this  has  doubtless  been  owing  to  disease 
or  natural  defect,  and  not  to  climate.  It  preys  on  young  rab- 
bits, squirrels,  rats,  mice,  Partridges,  and  small  birds  of  various 
kinds.  It  has  been  often  known  to  prowl  about  the  farm-house, 
and  carry  off  chickens  from  the  roost.  A  very  large  one,  wing- 
broken  while  on  a  foraging  excursion  of  this  kind,  was  kept 
about  a  house  for  several  days,  and  at  length  disappeared,  no 
one  knew  how.  Almost  every  day  after  this,  hens  and  chic- 
kens also  disappeared,  one  by  one,  in  an  unaccountable  man- 
ner, till  in  eight  or  ten  days  very  few  were  left  remaining. 
The  fox,  the  minx  and  weasel,  were  alternately  the  reputed 
authors  of  this  mischief,  until  one  morning,  an  old  lady,  rising 
before  day  to  bake,  in  passing  towards  the  oven,  surprized  her 
late  prisoner  the  Owl,  regaling  himself  on  the  body  of  a  newly 
killed  hen.  The  thief  instantly  made  for  his  hole  under  the 
house,  whence  the  enraged  matron  soon  dislodged  him  with 
the  brush-handle,  and  without  mercy  despatched  him.  In  this 
snug  retreat  were  found  the  greater  part  of  the  feathers,  and 
many  large  fragments,  of  her  whole  family  of  chickens. 

There  is  something  in  the  character  of  the  Owl  so  recluse, 
solitary  and  mysterious,  something  so  discordant  in  the  tones 
of  its  voice,  heard  only  amid  the  silence  and  gloom  of  night, 
and  in  the  most  lonely  and  sequestered  situations,  as  to  have 
strongly  impressed  the  minds  of  mankind  in  general  with  sen- 
sations of  awe,  and  abhorrence  of  the  whole  tribe.  The  poets 
have  indulged  freely  in  this  general  prejudice;  and  in  their  de- 


GREAT   HORNED-OWL.  135 

scriptions  and  delineations  of  midnight  storms,  and  gloomy 
scenes  of  nature,  the  Owl  is  generally  introduced  to  heighten 
the  horror  of  the  picture.  Ignorance  and  superstition,  in  all 
ages,  and  in  all  countries,  listen  to  the  voice  of  the  Owl,  and 
even  contemplate  its  physiognomy  with  feelings  of  disgust,  and 
a  kind  of  fearful  awe.  The  priests,  or  conjurers,  among  some 
of  our  Indian  nations,  have  taken  advantage  of  the  reverential 
horror  for  this  bird,  and  have  adopted  the  Great  Horned-Owl, 
the  subject  of  the  present  account,  as  the  symbol  or  emblem  of 
their  office.  "  Among  the  Creeks/3  says  Mr.  Bartram,  "the 
junior  priests,  or  students,  constantly  wear  a  white  mantle,  and 
have  a  Great  Owl  skin  cased  and  stuffed  very  ingeniously,  so 
well  executed  as  almost  to  appear  like  the  living  bird,  having 
large  sparkling  glass  beads,  or  buttons,  fixed  in  the  head  for 
eyes.  This  insignia  of  wisdom  and  divination  they  wear  some- 
times as  a  crest  on  the  top  of  the  head;  at  other  times  the  image 
sits  on  the  arm,  or  is  borne  on  the  hand.  These  bachelors  are 
also  distinguished  from  the  other  people  by  their  taciturnity, 
grave  and  solemn  countenance,  dignified  step,  and  singing  to 
themselves  songs  or  hymns  in  a  low,  sweet  voice,  as  they  stroll 
about  the  town."* 

Nothing  is  a  more  effectual  cure  for  superstition  than  a  know- 
ledge of  the  general  laws  and  productions  of  nature;  nor  more 
forcibly  leads  our  reflections  to  the  first,  great,  self-existent 
CAUSE  of  all,  to  whom  our  reverential  awe  is  then  humbly  de- 
voted, and  not  to  any  of  his  dependent  creatures.  With  all 
the  gloomy  habits,  and  ungracious  tones,  of  the  Owl,  there  is 
nothing  in  this  bird  supernatural  or  mysterious,  or  more  than 
that  of  a  simple  bird  of  prey,  formed  for  feeding  by  night,  like 
many  other  animals,  and  of  reposing  by  day.  The  harshness 
of  its  voice,  occasioned  by  the  width  and  capacity  of  its  throat, 
may  be  intended  by  heaven  as  an  alarm  and  warning  to  the 
birds  and  animals  on  which  it  preys,  to  secure  themselves  from 
danger.  The  voices  of  all  carnivorous  birds  and  animals  are 

*  Travels,  p.  504. 


136  GREAT  HORNED-OWL- 

also  observed  to  be  harsh  and  hideous,  probably  for  this  very 
purpose. 

The  Great  Horned-Owl  is  not  migratory,  but  remains  with 
us  the  whole  year.  During  the  day  he  slumbers  in  the  thick 
evergreens  of  deep  swamps,  or  seeks  shelter  in  large  hollow 
trees.  He  is  very  rarely  seen  abroad  by  day,  and  never  but 
when  disturbed.  In  the  month  of  May  they  usually  begin  to 
build.  The  nest  is  generally  placed  in  the  fork  of  a  tall  tree, 
and  is  constructed  of  sticks,  piled  in  considerable  quantities, 
lined  with  dry  leaves,  and  a  few  feathers.  Sometimes  they 
choose  a  hollow  tree,  and  in  that  case  carry  in  but  few  mate- 
rials. The  female  lays  four  eggs,  nearly  as  large  as  those  of  a 
hen,  almost  globular,  and  of  a  pure  white.  In  one  of  these 
nests,  after  the  young  had  flown,  were  found  the  heads  and 
bones  of  two  chickens,  the  legs  and  head  of  the  Golden-winged 
Woodpecker,  and  part  of  the  wings  and  feathers  of  several 
other  birds.  It  is  generally  conjectured  that  they  hatch  but 
once  in  the  season. 

The  length  of  the  male  of  this  species  is  twenty  inches;  the 
bill  is  large,  black  and  strong,  covered  at  the  base  with  a  cere ; 
the  eyes  golden  yellow;  the  horns  are  three  inches  in  length, 
and  very  broad,  consisting  of  twelve  or  fourteen  feathers,  their 
webs  black,  broadly  edged  with  bright  tawny;  face  rusty, 
bounded  on  each  side  by  a  band  of  black;  space  between  the 
eyes  and  bill  whitish ;  whole  lower  parts  elegantly  marked  with 
numerous  transverse  bars  of  dusky,  on  a  bright  tawny  ground, 
thinly  interspersed  with  white;  vent  pale  yellow  ochre,  barred 
with  narrow  lines  of  brown;  legs  and  feet  large  and  covered 
with  feathers,  or  hairy  down,  of  a  pale  brown  colour;  claws 
very  large,  blue  black;  tail  rounded,  extending  about  an  inch 
beyond  the  tips  of  the  wings,  crossed  with  six  or  seven  narrow 
bars  of  brown,  and  variegated  or  marbled  with  brown  and  taw- 
ny; whole  upper  parts  finely  pencilled  with  dusky,  on  a  tawny 
and  whitish  ground;  chin  pure  white,  under  that  a  band  of 
brown,  succeeded  by  another  narrow  one  of  white;  eyes  very 
large. 


GREAT  HORNED-OWL.  137 

The  female  is  full  two  feet  in  length,  and  has  not  the  white 
on  the  throat  so  pure.  She  has  also  less  of  the  bright  ferrugi- 
nous or  tawny  tint  below;  but  is  principally  distinguished  by 
her  superior  magnitude. 


VOL.  i. — u  u 


. 

SPECIES  S.     STRIX  OTUS. 

LONG-EARED  OWL. 
[Plate  LI. —Fig.  3.  Female.] 

GMEL.  Syst.  i,  p.  288. — BEWICK,  i,  p.  84. — PEALE'S  Museum,  JVo. 

434* 

THIS  Owl  is  common  to  both  continents,  and  is  much  more 
numerous  in  Pennsylvania  than  the  White,  or  Barn  Owl:  six 
or  seven  were  found  in  a  single  tree,  about  fifteen  miles  from 
this  city.  There  is  little  doubt  but  this  species  is  found  inhabit- 
ing America  to  a  high  latitude;  though  we  have  no  certain  ac- 
counts of  the  fact.  Except  in  size,  this  species  has  more  resem- 
blance to  the  Great  Horned-Owl  than  any  other  of  its  tribe.  It 
resembles  it  also  in  breeding  among  the  branches  of  tall  trees; 
lays  four  eggs  of  nearly  a  round  form,  and  pure  white,  t  The 
young  are  grayish  white  until  nearly  full  grown,  and  roost  du- 
ring the  day  close  together  on  a  limb,  among  the  thickest  of  the 
foliage.  This  Owl  is  frequently  seen  abroad  during  the  day,  but 
is  not  remarkable  for  its  voice  or  habits. 

The  Long-eared  Owl  is  fourteen  inches  and  a  half  long,  and 
three  feet  two  inches  in  extent;  ears  large,  composed  of  six  fea- 
thers, gradually  lengthening  from  the  front  one  backwards, 
black,  edged  with  rusty  yellow;  irides  vivid  yellow;  inside  of 
the  circle  of  the  face  white,  outside  or  cheeks  rusty;  at  the  in- 
ternal angle  of  the  eye  a  streak  of  black;  bill  blackish  horn  co- 
lour; forehead  and  crown  deep  brown,  speckled  with  minute 
points  of  white  and  pale  rusty;  outside  circle  of  the  face  black, 

*  We  add  the  following  synonymes: — Slrix  otus,  LINN.  Syst.  i,  p.  92,  JVb. 
4,  ed.  10.— BUFF.  PL  Enl.  29.— LATH.  Gen.  Syn.  i,  p.  121,  Ind.  Orn.  p.  55. 

f  Buffon  remarks,  that  it  rarely  constructs  a  nest  of  its  own;  but  not  unfre- 
quently  occupies  that  of  others,  particularly  the  Mag-pie. 


LONG-EARED  OWL.  139 

finely  marked  with  small  curving  spots  of  white;  back  and  wings 
dark  brown,  sprinkled  and  spotted  with  white,  pale  ferruginous 
and  dusky;  primaries  barred  with  brownish  yellow  and  dusky, 
darkening  towards  the  tips;  secondaries  more  finely  barred,  and 
powdered  with  white  and  dusky ;  tail  rounded  at  the  end,  of  the 
same  length  with  the  wings,  beautifully  barred  and  marbled 
with  dull  white  and  pale  rusty,  on  a  dark  brown  ground ;  throat 
and  breast  clouded  with  rusty,  cream,  black  and  white;  belly 
beautifully  streaked  with  large  arrow-heads  of  black;  legs  and 
thighs  plain  pale  rusty,  feathered  to  the  claws,  which  are  blue 
black,  large  and  sharp;  inside  of  the  wing  brownish  yellow, 
with  a  large  spot  of  black  at  the  root  of  the  primaries. 

This  was  a  female.  Of  the  male  I  cannot  speak  precisely; 
though  from  the  numbers  of  these  birds  which  I  have  examined 
in  the  Autumn,  when  it  is  difficult  to  ascertain  their  sex,  I  con- 
jecture that  they  differ  very  little  in  colour. 

About  six  or  seven  miles  below  Philadelphia,  and  not  far 
from  the  Delaware,  is  a  low  swamp,*  thickly  covered  with 
trees,  and  inundated  during  great  part  of  the  year.  This  place 
is  the  resort  of  great  numbers  of  the  Qua-bird,  or  Night  Raven, 
(JLrdea  nycticorax)  where  they  build  in  large  companies.  On 
the  twenty-fifth  of  April,  while  wading  among  the  dark  recesses 
of  this  forest,  observing  the  habits  of  these  birds,  I  discovered 
a  Long-eared  Owl,  which  had  taken  possession  of  one  of  their 
nests,  and  was  sitting;  on  mounting  to  the  nest,  I  found  it  con- 
tained four  eggs,  and  breaking  one  of  these,  the  young  appeared 
almost  ready  to  leave  the  shell.  There  were  numbers  of  the 
Qua-birds'  nests  on  the  adjoining  trees  all  around,  and  one  of 
them  actually  on  the  same  tree.  Thus  we  see  how  unvarying 
are  the  manners  of  this  species,  however  remote  and  different 
the  countries  may  be  where  it  has  taken  up  its  residence. 

*  Commonly  known  by  the  name  of  Cocker's  swamp,  from  time  immemorial 
a  noted  place  for  the  shooting1  of  Woodcocks. 


SPECIES  9.     STRIX  NJEVM* 

MOTTLED  OWL. 
[Plate  XIX.— Fig.  1.  Female.] 

Jlrct.  Zool.251.  JVo.  118.— LVTHAM,  i,  126.— -TuRTON,  i,  167.— 
PEALE'S  Museum,  No.  444. 

ON  contemplating  the  grave  and  antiquated  figure  of  this 
night  wanderer,  so  destitute  of  every  thing  like  gracefulness  of 
shape,  I  can  scarcely  refrain  from  smiling  at  the  conceit,  of  the 
ludicrous  appearance  this  bird  must  have  made,  had  nature  be- 
stowed on  it  the  powers  of  song,  and  given  it  the  faculty  of 
warbling  out  sprightly  airs,  while  robed  in  such  a  solemn  exte- 
rior. But  the  great  God  of  Nature  hath,  in  his  wisdom,  assigned 
to  this  class  of  birds  a  more  unsocial,  and  less  noble,  though, 
perhaps,  not  less  useful,  disposition,  by  assimilating  them,  not 
only  in  form  of  countenance,  but  in  voice,  manners,  and  appe- 
tite, to  some  particular  beasts  of  prey;  secluding  them  from  the 
enjoyment  of  the  gay  sunshine  of  day,  and  giving  them  little 
more  than  the  few  solitary  hours  of  morning  and  evening  twi- 
light, to  procure  their  food,  and  pursue  their  amours;  while  all 
the  tuneful  tribes,  a  few  excepted,  are  wrapt  in  silence  and  re- 
pose. That  their  true  character,  however,  should  not  be  con- 
cealed from  those  weaker  animals  on  whom  they  feed,  (for  hea- 
ven abhors  deceit  and  hypocrisy)  He  has  stamped  their  coun- 
tenance with  strong  traits  of  their  murderer  the  Cat;  and  birds 
in  this  respect  are,  perhaps,  better  physiognomists  than  men. 

The  Owl  now  before  us  is  chiefly  a  native  of  the  northern 
regions,  arriving  here,  with  several  others,  about  the  commence- 

*  Strix  asio.  This  is  the  adult  of  the  following  species,  and  the  name  asio 
given  to  the  young1,  must  be  retained  for  the  species,  as  the  young  was  first 
described.  See  LINN.  Syst.  r,  p.  92,  JVb.  3,  Ed.  10. 


MOTTLED  OWL.  141 

ment  of  cold  weather;  frequenting  the  uplands  and  mountainous 
districts,  in  preference  to  the  lower  parts  of  the  country;  and 
feeding  on  mice,  small  birds,  beetles,  and  crickets.  It  is  rather 
a  scarce  species  in  Pennsylvania;  flies  usually  in  the  early  part 
of  night  and  morning;  and  is  sometimes  observed  sitting  on  the 
fences  during  day,  when  it  is  easily  caught;  its  vision  at  that  time 
being  very  imperfect. 

The  bird  represented  in  the  plate  was  taken  in  this  situation, 
and  presented  to  me  by  a  friend.  I  kept  it  in  the  room  beside 
me  for  some  time;  during  which  its  usual  position  was  such  as 
I  have  given  it.  Its  eyelids  were  either  half  shut,  or  slowly  and 
alternately  opening  and  shutting,  as  if  suffering  from  the  glare 
of  day;  but  no  sooner  was  the  sun  set,  than  its  whole  appearance 
became  lively  and  animated;  its  full  and  globular  eyes  shone 
like  those  of  a  cat;  and  it  often  lowered  its  head,  in  the  manner 
of  a  cock  when  preparing  to  fight,  moving  it  from  side  to  side, 
and  also  vertically,  as  if  reconnoitring  you  with  great  sharpness. 
In  flying  through  the  room,  it  shifted  from  place  to  place  with 
the  silence  of  a  spirit,  (if  I  may  be  allowed  the  expression,)  the 
plumage  of  its  wings  being  so  extremely  fine  and  soft  as  to  oc- 
casion little  or  no  friction  with  the  air:  a  wise  provision  of  na- 
ture, bestowed  on  the  whole  genus,  to  enable  them,  without 
giving  alarm,  to  seize  their  prey  in  the  night.  For  an  hour  or 
two  in  the  evening,  and  about  break  of  day,  it  flew  about  with 
great  activity.  When  angry,  it  snapped  its  bill  repeatedly  with 
violence,  and  so  loud  as  to  be  heard  in  the  adjoining  room, 
swelling  out  its  eyes  to  their  full  dimensions,  and  lowering  its 
head  as  before  described.  It  swallowed  its  food  hastily,  in  large 
mouthfuls;  and  never  was  observed  to  drink.  Of  the  eggs  and 
nest  of  this  species  I  am  unable  to  speak. 

The  Mottled  Owl  is  ten  inches  long,  and  twenty-two  in  ex- 
tent; the  upper  part  of  the  head,  the  back,  ears  and  lesser  wing- 
coverts,  are  dark  brown,  streaked  and  variegated  with  black, 
pale  brown,  and  ash;  wings  lighter,  the  greater  coverts  and 
primaries  spotted  with  white;  tail  short,  even,  and  mottled  with 
black,  pale  brown,  and  whitish,  on  a  dark  brown  ground;  its 


142  MOTTLED  OWL. 

lower  side  gray;  horns  (as  they  are  usually  called)  very  promi- 
nent, each  composed  of  ten  feathers;  increasing  in  length  from 
the  front  backwards,  and  lightest  on  the  inside;  face  whitish, 
marked  with  small  touches  of  dusky,  and  bounded  on  each  side 
with  a  circlet  of  black;  breast  and  belly  white,  beautifully  varie- 
gated with  ragged  streaks  of  black,  and  small  transverse  touches 
of  brown;  legs  feathered  nearly  to  the  claws,  with  a  kind  of 
hairy  down,  of  a  pale  brown  colour;  vent  and  under  tail-coverts 
white,  the  latter  slightly  marked  with  brown;  iris  of  the  eye  a 
brilliant  golden  yellow;  bill  and  claws  bluish  horn  colour. 

This  was  a  female.  The  male  is  considerably  less  in  size;  the 
general  colours  darker;  and  the  white  on  the  wing-coverts  not 
so  observable. 

Hollow  trees,  either  in  the  woods  or  orchard,  or  close  ever- 
greens, in  retired  situations,  are  the  usual  roosting  places  of  this 
and  most  of  our  other  species.  These  retreats,  however,  are 
frequently  discovered  by  the  Nuthatch,  Titmouse,  or  Blue  Jay, 
who  instantly  raise  the  alarm ;  a  promiscuous  group  of  feathered 
neighbours  soon  collect  round  the  spot,  like  crowds  in  the 
streets  of  a  large  city,  when  a  thief  or  murderer  is  detected;  and 
by  their  insults  and  vociferation  oblige  the  recluse  to  seek  for 
another  lodging  elsewhere.  This  may  account  for  the  circum- 
stance of  sometimes  finding  them  abroad  during  the  day,  on 
fences  and  other  exposed  situations. 


STRIX 

RED  OWL. 
[Plate  XLIL-— Fig.   1,  Female.] 

Little  Owl,  CATESB.  i,  7. — LATH,  i,  123. — LINN.%S£.  132. — Jlrct. 
Zool.  n,  «7Vo.  117. — TURT.  Syst*  i,  p.  166. — PEAI.E'S  Museum, 
No.  428. 

THIS  is  another  of  our  nocturnal  wanderers,  well  known  by 
its  common  name,  the  Little  Screech  Owl;  and  noted  for  its 
melancholy  quivering  kind  of  wailing  in  the  evenings,  particu- 
larly towards  the  latter  part  of  summer  and  autumn,  near  the 
farm-house.  On  clear  moonlight  nights,  they  answer  each  other 
from  various  parts  of  the  fields  or  orchard;  roost  during  the 
day  in  thick  evergreens,  such  as  cedar,  pine,  or  juniper  trees, 
and  are  rarely  seen  abroad  in  sunshine.  In  May  they  construct 
their  nest  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree,  often  in  the  orchard,  in  an 
old  apple-tree;  the  nest  is  composed  of  some  hay  and  a  few 
feathers;  the  eggs  are  four,  pure  white  and  nearly  round.  The 
young  are  at  first  covered  with  a  whitish  down. 

The  bird  represented  in  the  plate,  I  kept  for  several  weeks 
in  the  room  beside  me.  It  was  caught  in  a  barn,  where  it  had 
taken  up  its  lodging,  probably  for  the  greater  convenience  of 
mousing;  and  being  unhurt,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  remarking 
its  manners.  At  first  it  struck  itself  so  forcibly  against  the  win- 
dow, as  frequently  to  deprive  it,  seemingly,  of  all  sensation 
for  several  minutes;  this  was  done  so  repeatedly,  that  I  began 
to  fear  that  either  the  glass,  or  the  Owl's  skull,  must  give  way. 
In  a  few  days,  however,  it  either  began  to  comprehend  some- 
thing of  the  matter,  or  to  take  disgust  at  the  glass,  for  it  never 
repeated  its  attempts;  and  soon  became  quite  tame  and  familiar. 

*  This  is  the  young  bird. 


144  RED  OWL. 

Those  who  have  seen  this  bird  only  in  the  day,  can  form  but 
an  imperfect  idea  of  its  activity,  and  even  sprightliness,  in  its 
proper  season  of  exercise.  Throughout  the  day,  it  was  all  still- 
ness and  gravity;  its  eyelids  half  shut,  its  neck  contracted,  and 
its  head  shrunk  seemingly  into  its  body;  but  scarcely  was  the 
sun  set,  and  twilight  began  to  approach,  when  its  eyes  became 
full  and  sparkling,  like  two  living  globes  of  fire;  it  crouched 
on  its  perch,  reconnoitred  every  object  around  with  looks  of 
eager  fierceness;  alighted  and  fed;  stood  on  the  meat  with 
clenched  talons,  while  it  tore  it  in  morsels  with  its  bill;  flew 
round  the  room  with  the  silence  of  thought,  and  perching, 
moaned  out  its  melancholy  notes,  with  many  lively  gesticula- 
tions, not  at  all  accordant  with  the  pitiful  tone  of  its  ditty, 
which  reminded  one  of  the  shivering  moanings  of  a  half-frozen 
puppy. 

This  species  is  found  generally  over  the  United  States,  and 
is  not  migratory. 

The  Red  Owl  is  eight  inches  and  a  half  long,  and  twenty-one 
inches  in  extent;  general  colour  of  the  plumage  above,  a  bright 
nut  brown  or  tawny  red;  the  shafts  black;  exterior  edges  of  the 
outer  row  of  scapulars  white;  bastard  wing,  the  five  first  prima- 
ries, and  three  or  four  of  the  first  greater  coverts,  also  spotted 
with  white;  whole  wing  quills  spotted  with  dusky  on  their  ex- 
terior webs;  tail  rounded,  transversely  barred  with  dusky  and 
pale  brown;  chin,  breast,  and  sides,  bright  reddish  brown,  streak- 
ed laterally  with  black,  intermixed  with  white;  belly  and  vent 
white,  spotted  with  bright  brown;  legs  covered  to  the  claws 
with  pale  brown  hairy  down;  extremities  of  the  toes  and  claws 
pale  bluish,  ending  in  black;  bill  a  pale  bluish  horn  colour;  eyes 
vivid  yellow;  inner  angles  of  the  eyes,  eye-brows,  and  space 
surrounding  the  bill,  whitish;  rest  of  the  face  nut  brown;  head 
horned  or  eared,  each  consisting  of  nine  or  ten  feathers,  of  a 
tawny  red,  shafted  with  black. 


ORDER  II.    PIC.E.    PIES. 

GENUS  4.   LANIUS.    SHRIKE. 

SPECIES  1.   LANIUS  EXCUBITOR?* 

GREAT  AMERICAN  SHRIKE,  OR  BUTCHER-BIRD. 

[Plate  V.— Fig.  1.] 

La  Pie-grieche  grise,  BUFF,  i,  296.  PI.  enl.  445. — White  Whisky- 
John,  Phil.  Trans,  v.  LXII,  p.  386.— Jlrct.  Zool.  v.  11,  JVb.  127. 
— PEALE'S  Museum,  No.  664. 

THE  form  and  countenance  of  this  bird  bespeak  him  full  of 
courage  and  energy;  and  his  true  character  does  not  belie  his 
appearance,  for  he  possesses  these  qualities  in  a  very  eminent 
degree.  He  is  represented  in  the  plate  rather  less  than  his  true 
size;  but  in  just  proportion;  and  with  a  fidelity  that  will  enable 
the  European  naturalist  to  determine,  whether  this  be  really 
the  same  with  the  great  Cinereous  Shrike,  (Lanius  excubi- 
for,  Linn. )  of  the  eastern  continent  or  not;  though  the  progres- 
sive variableness  of  the  plumage,  passing,  according  to  age,  and 
sometimes  to  climate,  from  ferruginous  to  pale  ash,  and  even 
to  a  bluish  white,  renders  it  impossible  that  this  should  be  an 
exact  representation  of  every  individual. 

This  species  is  by  no  means  numerous  in  the  lower  parts  of 
Pennsylvania;  though  most  so  during  the  months  of  November, 
December  and  March.  Soon  after  this  it  retires  to  the  north, 
and  to  the  higher  inland  parts  of  the  country  to  breed.  It  fre- 
quents the  deepest  forests;  builds  a  large  and  compact  nest  in 
the  upright  fork  of  a  small  tree;  composed  outwardly  of  dry 
grass,  and  whitish  moss,  and  warmly  lined  within  with  feath- 

*  Lanius  septentrionalis,  GMEL. 
VOL.   I. X  X 


146  GREAT  AMERICAN  SHRIKE. 

ers.  The  female  lays  six  eggs,  of  a  pale  cinereous  colour,  thick- 
ly marked  at  the  greater  end  with  spots  and  streaks  of  rufous. 
She  sits  fifteen  days.  The  young  are  produced  early  in  June, 
sometimes  towards  the  latter  end  of  May;  and  during  the  great- 
er part  of  the  first  season  are  of  a  brown  ferruginous  colour  on 
the  back. 

When  we  compare  the  beak  of  this  species,  with  his  legs  and 
claws,  they  appear  to  belong  to  two  very  different  orders  of 
birds;  the  former  approaching,  in  its  conformation,  to  that  of 
the  Accipitrine;  the  latter  to  those  of  the  Pies;  and,  indeed,  in 
his  food  and  manners  he  is  assimilated  to  both.  For  though  man 
has  arranged  and  subdivided  this  numerous  class  of  animals  into 
separate  tribes  and  families,  yet  nature  has  united  these  to  each 
other  by  such  nice  gradations,  and  so  intimately,  that  it  is  hard- 
ly possible  to  determine  where  one  tribe  ends,  or  the  succeed- 
ing commences.  We  therefore  find  several  eminent  naturalists 
classing  this  genus  of  birds  with  the  Accipitrine,  others  with  the 
Pies.  Like  the  former  he  preys,  occasionally,  on  other  birds; 
and  like  the  latter  on  insects,  particularly  grasshoppers,  which 
I  believe  to  be  his  principal  food;  having  at  almost  all  times, 
even  in  winter,  found  them  in  his  stomach.  In  the  month  of 
December,  and  while  the  country  was  deeply  covered  with 
snow,  I  shot  one  of  these  birds,  near  the  head  waters  of  the  Mo- 
hawk river,  in  the  state  of  New  York,  the  stomach  of  which 
was  entirely  filled  with  large  black  spiders.  He  was  of  a  much 
purer  white,  above,  than  any  I  have  since  met  with;  though 
evidently  of  the  same  species  with  the  present;  and  I  think  it 
probable,  that  the  males  become  lighter  coloured  as  they  ad- 
vance in  age,  till  the  minute  transverse  lines  of  brown  on  the 
lower  parts  almost  disappear. 

In  his  manners  he  has  more  resemblance  to  the  pies  than  to 
birds  of  prey,  particularly  in  the  habit  of  carrying  off  his  sur- 
plus food,  as  if  to  hoard  it  for  future  exigences;  with  this  dif- 
ference, that  Crows,  Jays,  Magpies,  &c.  conceal  theirs  at  ran- 
dom, in  holes  and  crevices,  where  perhaps  it  is  forgotten  or 
never  again  found;  while  the  Butcher-bird  sticks  his  on  thorns 


GREAT  AMERICAN  SHRIKE.  147 

and  bushes,  where  it  shrivels  in  the  sun,  and  soon  becomes 
equally  useless  to  the  hoarder.  Both  retain  the  same  habits  in 
a  state  of  confinement,  whatever  the  food  may  be  that  is  present- 
ed to  them. 

This  habit  of  the  Shrike  of  seizing  and  impaling  grasshoppers, 
and  other  insects,  on  thorns,  has  given  rise  to  an  opinion,  that 
he  places  their  carcasses  there,  by  way  of  baits,  to  allure  small 
birds  to  them,  while  he  himself  lies  in  ambush  to  surprise  and 
destroy  them.  In  this,  however,  they  appear  to  allow  him  a 
greater  portion  of  reason  and  contrivance  than  he  seems  entitled 
to,  or  than  other  circumstances  will  altogether  warrant;  for  we 
find  that  he  not  only  serves  grasshoppers  in  this  manner,  but 
even  small  birds  themselves,  as  those  have  assured  me  who 
have  kept  them  in  cages  in  this  country,  and  amused  them- 
selves with  their  manoeuvres.  If  so,  we  might  as  well  suppose 
the  farmer  to  be  inviting  Crows  to  his  corn,  when  he  hangs 
up  their  carcasses  around  it,  as  the  Butcher-bird  to  be  decoy- 
ing small  birds  by  a  display  of  the  dead  bodies  of  their  comrades ! 

In  the  "  Transactions  of  the  American  Philosophical  Socie- 
ty," vol.  iv,  p.  124,  the  reader  may  find  a  long  letter  on  this 
subject,  from  Mr.  John  Heckewelder,  of  Bethlehem,  to  Dr. 
Barton;  the  substance  of  which  is  as  follows:  That  on  the  17th 
of  December,  1795,  he  (Mr.  Heckewelder)  went  to  visit  a 
young  orchard,  which  had  been  planted  a  few  weeks  before, 
and  was  surprised  to  observe  on  every  one  of  the  trees  one, 
and  on  some,  two  and  three  grasshoppers,  stuck  down  on  the 
sharp  thorny  branches;  that  on  inquiring  of  his  tenant  the  reason 
of  this,  he  informed  him,  that  they  were  stuck  there  by  a  small 
bird  of  prey  called  by  the  Germans  Neuntoedter  (Ninekiller,) 
which  caught  and  stuck  nine  grasshoppers  a  day;  and  he  sup- 
posed that  as  the  bird  itself  never  fed  on  grasshoppers,  it  must 
do  it  for  pleasure.  Mr.  Heckewelder  now  recollected  that  one 
of  those  Ninekillers  had,  many  years  before,  taken  a  favourite 
bird  of  his  out  of  his  cage,  at  the  window;  since  which  he  had 
paid  particular  attention  to  it;  and  being  perfectly  satisfied  that 
it  lived  entirely  on  mice  and  small  birds,  and,  moreover,  ob- 


148  GREAT  AMERICAN  SHRIKE. 

serving  the  grasshoppers  on  the  trees  all  fixed  in  natural  posi- 
tions, as  if  alive,  he  began  to  conjecture  that  this  was  done  to 
decoy  such  small  birds  as  feed  on  these  insects  to  the  spot,  that 
he  might  have  an  opportunity  of  devouring  them.  "  If  it  were 
true,"  says  he,  "  that  this  little  hawk  had  stuck  them  up  for 
himself,  how  long  would  he  be  in  feeding  on  one  or  two  hun- 
dred grasshoppers?  But  if  it  be  intended  to  seduce  the  smaller 
birds  to  feed  on  these  insects,  in  order  to  have  an  opportunity 
of  catching  them,  that  number,  or  even  one  half,  or  less,  may 
be  a  good  bait  all  winter,"  &c.  &c. 

This  is  indeed  a  very  pretty  fanciful  theory,  and  would  enti- 
tle our  bird  to  the  epithet  Fowler ',  perhaps  with  more  proprie- 
ty than  Lanius,  or  Butcher;  but,  notwithstanding  the  attention 
which  Mr.  Heckewelder  professes  to  have  paid  to  this  bird,  he 
appears  not  only  to  have  been  unacquainted  that  grasshoppers 
were  in  fact  the  favourite  food  of  this  Ninekiller,  but  never  once 
to  have  considered,  that  grasshoppers  would  be  but  a  very  in- 
significant and  tasteless  bait  for  our  winter  birds,  which  are 
chiefly  those  of  the  Finch  kind,  that  feed  almost  exclusively  on 
hard  seeds  and  gravel;  and  among  whom  five  hundred  grass- 
hoppers might  be  stuck  up  on  trees  and  bushes,  and  remain 
there  untouched  by  any  of  them  forever.  Besides,  where  is  his 
necessity  of  having  recourse  to  such  refined  stratagems,  when 
he  can  at  any  time  seize  upon  small  birds  by  mere  force  of  flight ! 
I  have  seen  him,  in  an  open  field,  dart  after  one  of  our  small 
sparrows,  with  the  rapidity  of  an  arrow,  and  kill  it  almost  in- 
stantly. Mr.  William  Bartram  long  ago  informed  me,  that  one 
of  these  Shrikes  had  the  temerity  to  pursue  a  Snow-bird  (F. 
Hudsonia,)  into  an  open  cage,  which  stood  in  the  garden ;  and 
before  they  could  arrive  to  its  assistance,  had  already  strangled 
and  scalped  it,  though  he  lost  his  liberty  by  the  exploit.  In  short 
I  am  of  opinion,  that  his  resolution  and  activity  are  amply  suf- 
ficient to  enable  him  to  procure  these  small  birds  whenever  he 
wants  them,  which  I  believe  is  never  but  when  hard  pressed 
by  necessity,  and  a  deficiency  of  his  favourite  insects;  and  that 
the  Crow  or  the  Blue  Jay  may,  with  the  same  probability,  be 


GREAT  AMERICAN  SHRIKE.  149 

supposed  to  be  laying  baits  for  mice  and  flying  squirrels,  when 
they  are  hoarding  their  Indian  corn,  as  he  for  birds  while  thus 
disposing  of  the  exuberance  of  his  favourite  food.  Both  the  for- 
mer and  the  latter  retain  the  same  habits  in  a  state  of  confine- 
ment; the  one  filling  every  seam  and  chink  of  his  cage  with 
grain,  crumbs  of  bread,  &c.  and  the  other  sticking  up,  not  only 
insects,  but  flesh,  and  the  bodies  of  such  birds  as  are  thrown  in 
to  him,  on  nails  or  sharpened  sticks,  fixed  up  for  the  purpose. 
Nor,  say  others,  is  this  practice  of  the  Shrike  difficult  to  be  ac- 
counted for.  Nature  has  given  to  this  bird  a  strong,  sharp,  and 
powerful  beak,  a  broad  head,  and  great  strength  in  the  muscles 
of  his  neck;  but  his  legs,  feet  and  claws,  are  by  no  means  pro- 
portionably  strong;  and  are  unequal  to  the  task  of  grasping  and 
tearing  his  prey,  like  those  of  the  Owl  and  Falcon  kind.  He 
therefore  wisely  avails  himself  of  the  powers  of  the  former,  both 
in  strangling  his  prey,  and  in  tearing  it  to  pieces  while  feeding. 

The  character  of  the  Butcher-bird  is  entitled  to  no  common 
degree  of  respect.  His  activity  is  visible  in  all  his  motions; 
his  courage  and  intrepidity  beyond  every  other  bird  of  his  size 
(one  only  excepted,  the  King-bird,  L.  tyrannus,  Linn.)  and 
in  affection  for  his  young  he  is  surpassed  by  no  other.  He  asso- 
ciates with  them  in  the  latter  part  of  summer,  the  whole  fam- 
ily hunting  in  company.  He  attacks  the  largest  Hawk,  or  Ea- 
gle, in  their  defence,  with  a  resolution  truly  astonishing;  so  that 
all  of  them  respect  him;  and  on  every  occasion  decline  the  con- 
test. As  the  snows  of  winter  approach,  he  descends  from  the 
mountainous  forests,  and  from  the  regions  of  the  north,  to  the 
more  cultivated  parts  of  the  country,  hovering  about  our  hedge- 
rows, orchards  and  meadows,  and  disappears  again  early  in 
April. 

The  Great  American  Shrike  is  ten  inches  in  length,  and  thir- 
teen in  extent;  the  upper  part  of  the  head,  neck  and  back,  is 
pale  cinereous;  sides  of  the  head  nearly  white,  crossed  with  a 
bar  of  black,  that  passes  from  the  nostril  through  the  eye  to  the 
middle  of  the  neck;  the  whole  under  parts,  in  some  specimens, 
are  nearly  white,  and  thickly  marked  with  minute  transverse 


150  GREAT  AMERICAN  SHRIKE. 

curving  lines  of  light  brown;  the  wings  are  black,  tipt  with 
white,  with  a  single  spot  of  white  on  the  primaries,  just  below 
their  coverts;  the  scapulars,  or  long  downy  feathers  that  fall 
over  the  upper  part  of  the  wing,  are  pure  white;  the  rump  and 
tail-coverts  a  very  fine  gray  or  light  ash;  the  tail  is  cuneiform, 
consisting  of  twelve  feathers,  the  two  middle  ones  wholly  black, 
the  others  tipt  more  and  more  with  white  to  the  exterior  ones, 
which  are  nearly  all  white;  the  legs,  feet  and  claws,  are  black; 
the  beak  straight,  thick,  of  a  light  blue  colour;  the  upper  man- 
dible furnished  with  a  sharp  process,  bending  down  greatly  at 
the  point,  where  it  is  black,  and  beset  at  the  base  with  a  number 
of  long  black  hairs  or  bristles;  the  nostrils  are  also  thickly  covered 
with  recumbent  hairs;  the  iris  of  the  eye  is  a  light  hazel,  pupil 
black.  The  figure  in  the  plate  will  give  a  perfect  idea  of  the 
bird.  The  female  is  easily  distinguished  by  being  ferruginous 
on  the  back  and  head;  and  having  the  band  of  black  extending 
only  behind  the  eye,  and  of  a  dirty  brown  or  burnt  colour,  the 
under  parts  are  also  something  rufous,  and  the  curving  lines 
more  strongly  marked;  she  is  rather  less  than  the  male,  which 
is  different  from  birds  of  prey  in  general,  the  females  of  which 
are  usually  the  larger  of  the  two. 

In  the  Arctic  Zoology  we  are  told  that  this  species  is  fre- 
quent in  Russia,  but  does  not  extend  to  Siberia;  yet  one  was  ta- 
ken within  Behring's  straits,  on  the  Asiatic  side,  in  lat.  66°; 
and  the  species  probably  extends  over  the  whole  continent  of 
North  America,  from  the  Western  ocean.  Mr.  Bell,  while  on 
his  travels  through  Russia,  had  one  of  these  birds  given  him, 
which  he  kept  in  a  room,  having  fixed  up  a  sharpened  stick  for 
him  in  the  wall;  and  on  turning  small  birds  loose  in  the  room, 
the  Butcher-bird  instantly  caught  them  by  the  throat  in  such  a 
manner  as  soon  to  sufjpcate  them;  and  then  stuck  them  on  the 
stick,  pulling  them  on  with  bill  and  claws;  and  so  served  as 
many  as  were  turned  loose,  one  after  another,  on  the  same  stick.* 

*  Edwards,  v.  vu,  p.  231. 


SPECIES  2.     LANIUS  CAROLINENS1S.* 

LOGGERHEAD  SHRIKE. 

[Plate  XXII. —Fig.  5.] 

PEALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  557. 

THIS  species  has  a  considerable  resemblance  to  the  Great 
American  Shrike.  It  differs,  however,  from  that  bird  in  size, 
being  a  full  inch  shorter,  and  in  colour,  being  much  darker  on 
the  upper  parts;  and  in  having  the  frontlet  black.  It  also  inha- 
bits the  warmer  parts  of  the  United  States;  while  the  Great 
American  Shrike  is  chiefly  confined  to  the  northern  regions, 
and  seldom  extends  to  the  south  of  Virginia. 

This  species  inhabits  the  rice  plantations  of  Carolina  and 
Georgia,  where  it  is  protected  for  its  usefulness  in  destroying 
mice.  It  sits,  for  hours  together,  on  the  fence,  beside  the  stacks 
of  rice,  watching  like  a  cat;  and  as  soon  as  it  perceives  a  mouse, 
darts  on  it  like  a  Hawk.  It  also  feeds  on  crickets  and  grasshop- 
pers. Its  note,  in  March,  resembled  the  clear  creaking  of  a  sign 
board,  in  windy  weather.  It  builds  its  nest,  as  I  was  informed, 
generally  in  a  detached  bush,  much  like  that  of  the  Mocking- 
bird; but  as  the  spring  was  not  then  sufficiently  advanced,  I  had 
no  opportunity  of  seeing  its  eggs.  It  is  generally  known  by  the 
name  of  the  Loggerhead. 

This  species  is  nine  inches  long  and  thirteen  in  extent;  the 
colour  above  is  cinereous  or  dark  ash;  scapulars,  and  line  over 
the  eye,  whitish;  wings  black,  with  a  small  spot  of  white  at  the 
base  of  the  primaries,  and  tipt  with  white;  a  stripe  of  black  pas- 

*  Lanius  Ludovicianus,  LINX.  which  name  must  be  adopted.  In  Buffon,  pi. 
enl.  528,  there  is  a  figure  of  a  young  bird. — Synonymes:  La  Pie-griesche  de  la 
Louisiane,  Jiuiss.  2,  p.  162. — LATH.  Ind.  Orn.  p.  69. 


152  LOGGERHEAD  SHRIKE. 

ses  along  the  front  through  each  eye,  half  way  down  the  side 
of  the  neck;  eye  dark  hazel,  sunk  below  the  eyebrow;  tail  cunei- 
form, the  four  middle  feathers  wholly  black,  the  four  exterior 
ones  on  each  side  tipt  more  and  more  with  white  to  the  outer 
one  which  is  nearly  all  white;  whole  lower  parts  white,  and  in 
some  specimens,  both  of  males  and  females,  marked  with  trans- 
verse lines  of  very  pale  brown;  bill  and  legs  black. 

The  female  is  considerably  darker  both  above  and  below,  but 
the  black  does  not  reach  so  high  on  the  front;  it  is  also  rather 
less  in  size. 


GENUS  5.  PSITTACUS.   PARROT. 
P.    CAROLINENSIS. 
CAROLINA  PARROT. 

[Plate  XXVL— Fig.  1.] 

LINN.  Syst.  i,  2}-  97,  ed.  10. — CATESBY,  i,  11. — LATHAM,  i,  227.— 
Arct.  Zuol.  242,  No.   132.  Ibid.  133.— PEALE'S  Museum,  No. 

762.* 

OF  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  kinds  of  Parrots,  enumerated 
by  European  writers  as  inhabiting  the  various  regions  of  the 
globe,  this  is  the  only  species  found  native  within  the  territory 
of  the  United  States.  The  vast  and  luxuriant  tracts  lying  within 
the  torrid  zone,  seem  to  be  the  favourite  residence  of  those 
noisy,  numerous,  and  richly-plumaged  tribes.  The  count  de 
Buffon  has,  indeed,  circumscribed  the  whole  genus  of  Parrots 
to  a  space  not  extending  more  than  twenty-three  degrees  on 
each  side  of  the  equator;  but  later  discoveries  have  shown  this 
statement  to  be  incorrect;  as  these  birds  have  been  found  on 
our  continent  as  far  south  as  the  straits  of  Magellan,  and  even 
on  the  remote  shores  of  Van  Diemen's  Land,  in  Terra  Aus- 
tralasia. The  species  now  under  consideration  is  also  known  to 
inhabit  the  interior  of  Louisiana,  and  the  shores  of  the  Missis- 
sippi and  Ohio,  and  their  tributary  waters,  even  beyond  the 
Illinois  river,  to  the  neighbourhood  of  lake  Michigan,  in  lat. 
42°  North;  and,  contrary  to  the  generally  received  opinion,  is 
chiefly  resident  in  all  these  places.  Eastward,  however,  of  the 
great  range  of  the  Alleghany,  it  is  seldom  seen  farther  north 

*  We  add  the  following  synonymes:  La  Perruche  de  la  Caroline.  Bmss.  4, 
p.  350. — Orange-headed  Parrot,  LATH.  Gen.   Sijn.   1,  p.   304.    1ml.   0/w.  p. 
93. 
VOL.  i. — Y  y 


154  CAROLINA   PARROT. 

than  the  state  of  Maryland;  though  straggling  parties  have  been 
occasionally  observed  among  the  vallies  of  the  Juniata;  and  ac- 
cording to  some,  even  twenty-five  miles  to  the  northwest  of 
Albany,  in  the  state  of  New  York.  *  But  such  accidental  visits 
furnish  no  certain  criteria  by  which  to  judge  of  their  usual  ex- 
tent of  range;  those  aerial  voyagers,  as  well  as  others  who  na- 
vigate the  deep,  being  subject  to  be  cast  away,  by  the  violence 
of  the  elements,  on  distant  shores  and  unknown  countries. 

From  these  circumstances  of  the  .northern  residence  of  this 
species,  we  might  be  justified  in  concluding  it  to  be  a  very 
hardy  bird,  more  capable  of  sustaining  cold  than  nine-tenths  of 
its  tribe;  and  so  I  believe  it  is;  having  myself  seen  them,  in  the 
month  of  February,  along  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  in  a  snow 
storm,  flying  about  like  pigeons,  and  in  full  cry. 

The  preference,  however,  which  this  bird  gives  to  the  west- 
ern countries,  lying  in  the  same  parallel  of  latitude  with  those 
eastward  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  which  it  rarely  or  never 
visits,  is  worthy  of  remark;  and  has  been  adduced,  by  different 
writers,  as  a  proof  of  the  superior  mildness  of  climate  in  the 
former  to  that  of  the  latter.  But  there  are  other  reasons  for  this 
partiality  equally  powerful,  though  hitherto  overlooked;  name- 
ly, certain  peculiar  features  of  country,  to  which  these  birds 
are  particularly  and  strongly  attached;  these  are,  low,  rich,  al- 
luvial bottoms,  along  the  borders  of  creeks,  covered  with  a 
gigantic  growth  of  sycamore  trees  or  button-wood — deep  and 
almost  impenetrable  swamps,  where  the  vast  and  towering  cy- 
press lift  their  still  more  majestic  heads;  and  those  singular 
salines,  or,  as  they  are  usually  called,  licks,  so  generally  inter- 
spersed over  that  country,  and  which  are  regularly  and  eagerly 
visited  by  the  Paroquets.  A  still  greater  inducement  is  the  su- 
perior abundance  of  their  favourite  fruits.  That  food  which  the 
Paroquet  prefers  to  all  others,  is  the  seeds  of  the  cockle-burr, 
a  plant  rarely  found  in  the  lower  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  or 
New  York;  but  which  unfortunately  grows  in  too  great  abund- 

*  BARTON'S  Fragments,  &c.  p.  6,  Introd. 


CAROLINA  PARROT.  155 

ance  along  the  shores  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi,  so  much  so 
as  to  render  the  wool  of  those  sheep,  that  pasture  where  it  most 
abounds,  scarcely  worth  the  cleaning,  covering  them  with  one 
solid  mass  of  burrs,  wrought  up  and  imbedded  into  the  fleece, 
to  the  great  annoyance  of  this  valuable  animal.     The  seeds  of 
the  cypress-tree  and  hackberry,  as  well  as  beech-nuts,  are  also 
great  favourites  with  these  birds;  the  two  former  of  which  are 
not  commonly  found  in  Pennsylvania,   and  the  latter  by  no 
means  so  general  or  so  productive.   Here  then  are  several  pow- 
erful reasons,  more  dependent  on  soil  than  climate,  for  the  pre- 
ference given  by  these  birds  to  the  luxuriant  regions  of  the 
west.    Pennsylvania,  indeed,  and  also  Maryland,  abound  with 
excellent  apple  orchards,  on  the  ripe  fruit  of  which  the  Paro- 
quets occasionally  feed.     But  I  have  my  doubts  whether  their 
depredations  in  the  orchard  be  not  as  much  the  result  of  wanton 
play  and  mischief,  as  regard  for  the  seeds  of  the  fruit,  which 
they  are  supposed  to  be  in  pursuit  of.     I  have  known  a  flock 
of  these  birds  alight  on  an  apple-tree,  and  have  myself  seen 
them  twist  off  the  fruit,  one  by  one,  strewing  it  in  every  di- 
rection around  the  tree,  without  observing  that  any  of  the  de- 
predators descended  to  pick  them  up.     To  a  Paroquet  which  I 
wounded,  and  kept  for  some  considerable  time,  I  very  often 
offered  apples,  which  it  uniformly  rejected;  but  burrs,  or  beech- 
nuts never.     To  another  very  beautiful  one,  which  I  brought 
from  New  Orleans,  and  which  is  now  sitting  in  the  room  beside 
me,  I  have  frequently  offered  this  fruit,  and  also  the  seeds  se- 
parately, which  I  never  knew  it  to  taste.     Their  local  attach- 
ments also  prove  that  food  more  than  climate  determines  their 
choice  of  country.    For  even  in  the  states  of  Ohio,  Kentucky, 
and  the  Mississippi  territory,  unless  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
such  places  as  have  been  described,  it  is  rare  to  see  them.   The 
inhabitants  of  Lexington,  as  many  of  them  assured  me,  scarcely 
ever  observe  them  in  that  quarter.    In  passing  from  that  place 
to  Nashville,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles,  I  neither  heard 
nor  saw  any,  but  at  a  place  called  Madison's  lick.    In  passing 
on,  I  next  met  with  them  on  the  banks  and  rich  flats  of  the 


156  CAROLINA  PARROT. 

Tennessee  river;  after  this  I  saw  no  more  till  I  reached  Bayo 
St.  Pierre,  a  distance  of  several  hundred  miles;  from  all  which 
circumstances,  I  think  we  cannot,  from  the  residences  of  these 
birds,  establish  with  propriety,  any  correct  standard  by  which 
to  judge  of  the  comparative  temperatures  of  different  climates. 
In  descending  the  river  Ohio,  by  myself,  in  the  month  of 
February,  I  met  with  the  first  flock  of  Paroquets  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Little  Sioto.     I  had  been  informed,  by  an  old  and  re- 
spectable inhabitant  of  Marietta,  that  they  were  sometimes, 
though  rarely,  seen  there.  I  observed  flocks  of  them,  afterwards, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  and  little  Miami,  and  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  numerous  creeks,  that  discharge  themselves  into 
the  Ohio.     At  Big-Bone  lick,  thirty  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
Kentucky  river,  I  saw  them  in  great  numbers.     They  came 
screaming  through  the  woods  in  the  morning,  about  an  hour 
after  sunrise,  to  drink  the  salt  water,  of  which  they,  as  well  as 
the  pigeons,  are  remarkably  fond.  When  they  alighted  on  the 
ground,  it  appeared,  at  a  distance,  as  if  covered  with  a  carpet 
of  the  richest  green,  orange  and  yellow.    They  afterwards  set- 
tled, in  one  body,  on  a  neighbouring  tree,  which  stood  detached 
from  any  other,  covering  almost  every  twig  of  it,  and  the  sun 
shining  strongly  on  their  gay  and  glossy  plumage,  produced  a 
very  beautiful  and  splendid  appearance.    Here  I  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  observing  some  very  particular  traits  of  their  character. 
Having  shot  down  a  number,  some  of  which  were  only  wound- 
ed, the  whole  flock  swept  repeatedly  around  their  prostrate  com- 
panions, and  again  settled  on  a  low  tree,  within  twenty  yards  of 
the  spot  where  I  stood.  At  each  successive  discharge,  though 
showers  of  them  fell,  yet  the  affection  of  the  survivors  seemed 
rather  to  increase;  for  after  a  few  circuits  around  the  place,  they 
again  alighted  near  me,   looking  down  on  their  slaughtered 
companions,  with  such  manifest  symptoms  of  sympathy  and 
concern,  as  entirely  disarmed  me.    I  could  not  but  take  notice 
of  the  remarkable  contrast  between  their  elegant  manner  of 
flight,  and  their  lame  and  crawling  gait  among  the  branches. 
They  fly  very  much  like  the  Wild  Pigeon,  in  close,  compact 


CAROLINA   PARROT.  157 

bodies,  and  with  great  rapidity,  making  a  loud  and  outrageous 
screaming,  not  unlike  that  of  the  Red-headed  Woodpecker. 
Their  flight  is  sometimes  in  a  direct  line;  but  most  usually  cir- 
cuitous, making  a  great  variety  of  elegant  and  easy  serpentine 
meanders,  as  if  for  pleasure.  They  are  particularly  attached  to 
the  large  sycamores,  in  the  hollow  of  the  trunks,  and  branches 
of  which,  they  generally  roost,  thirty  or  forty,  and  sometimes 
more,  entering  at  the  same  hole.  Here  they  cling  close  to  the 
sides  of  the  tree,  holding  fast  by  the  claws,  and  also  by  the 
bills.  They  appear  to  be  fond  of  sleep,  and  often  retire  to  their 
holes  during  the  day,  probably  to  take  their  regular  siesta. 
They  are  extremely  sociable  with  and  fond  of  each  other,  often 
scratching  each  other's  heads  and  necks,  and  always  at  night 
nestling  as  close  as  possible  to  each  other,  preferring,  at  that 
time,  a  perpendicular  position,  supported  by  their  bill  and  claws. 
In  the  Fall,  when  their  favourite  cockle-burrs  are  ripe,  they 
swarm  along  the  coast,  or  high  grounds  of  the  Mississippi, 
above  New  Orleans,  for  a  great  extent.  At  such  times  they 
are  killed  and  eaten  by  many  of  the  inhabitants;  though  I  con- 
fess I  think  their  flesh  very  indifferent  I  have  several  times 
dined  on  it  from  necessity  in  the  woods;  but  found  it  merely 
passable,  with  all  the  sauce  of  a  keen  appetite  to  recommend 
it.* 

A  very  general  opinion  prevails,  that  the  brains  and  intes- 
tines of  the  Carolina  Paroquet  are  a  sure  and  fatal  poison  to 
cats.  I  had  determined,  when  at  Big-Bone,  to  put  this  to  the 
test  of  experiment;  and  for  that  purpose  collected  the  brains  and 
bowels  of  more  than  a  dozen  of  them.  But  after  close  search 
Mrs.  Puss  was  not  to  be  found,  being  engaged  perhaps  oh  more 
agreeable  business.  I  left  the  medicine  with  Mr.  Colquhoun's 

*  Had  our  author  been  provided  with  proper  apparatus  to  cook  these  birds, 
and  suitable  condiments,  he  would,  doubtless,  have  been  of  a  different  opinion. 
Mr.  T.  Peale  and  myself,  when  in  East  Florida,  where  this  species  is  found 
in  great  numbers,  thought  them  excellent  eating.  In  Florida  the  Paroquets 
are  migratory.  We  saw  the  first  flock  of  them,  at  the  Cowford,  on  the  river 
St.  John,  on  the  first  of  March:  the  greater  part  of  them  were  males.  G.  Ord. 


158  CAROLINA  PARROT. 

agent,  to  administer  it  by  the  first  opportunity,  and  write  me 
the  result;  but  I  have  never  yet  heard  from  him.  A  respectable 
lady  near  the  town  of  Natchez,  and  on  whose  word  I  can  rely, 
assured  me,  that  she  herself  had  made  the  experiment,  and  that, 
whatever  might  be  the  cause,  the  cat  had  actually  died  either 
on  that  or  the  succeeding  day.  A  French  planter  near  Bayo 
Fourche  pretended  to  account  to  me  for  this  effect,  by  positively 
asserting,  that  the  seeds  of  the  cockle-burrs,  on  which  the  Pa- 
roquets so  eagerly  feed,  were  deleterious  to  cats;  and  thus  their 
death  was  produced  by  eating  the  intestines  of  the  bird.  These 
matters  might  easily  have  been  ascertained  on  the  spot,  which, 
however,  a  combination  of  trifling  circumstances  prevented  me 
from  doing.  I  several  times  carried  a  dose  of  the  first  descrip- 
tion in  my  pocket,  till  it  became  insufferable,  without  meeting 
with  a  suitable  patient,  on  whom,  like  other  professional  gen- 
tlemen, I  might  conveniently  make  a  fair  experiment. 

I  was  equally  unsuccessful  in  my  endeavours  to  discover  the 
time  of  incubation  or  manner  of  building  among  these  birds.  All 
agreed  that  they  breed  in  hollow  trees;  and  several  affirmed  to 
me  that  they  had  seen  their  nests.  Some  said  they  carried  in 
no  materials;  others  that  they  did.  Some  made  the  eggs  white; 
others  speckled.  One  man  assured  me  that  he  had  cut  down  a 
large  beech-tree,  which  was  hollow,  and  in  which  he  found  the 
broken  fragments  of  upwards  of  twenty  Paroquets'  eggs,  which 
were  of  a  greenish  yellow  colour.  The  nests,  though  destroyed 
in  their  texture  by  the  falling  of  the  tree,  appeared,  he  said,  to 
be  formed  of  small  twigs  glued  to  each  other,  and  to  the  side 
of  the  tree,  in  the  manner  of  the  Chimney  Swallow.  He  added, 
that  if  it  were  the  proper  season,  he  could  point  out  to  me  the 
weed  from  which  they  procured  the  gluey  matter.  From  all 
these  contradictory  accounts,  nothing  certain  can  be  deduced, 
except  that  they  build  in  companies,  in  hollow  trees.  That  they 
commence  incubation  late  in  summer,  or  very  early  in  spring, 
I  think  highly  probable,  from  the  numerous  dissections  I  made 
in  the  months  of  March,  April,  May  and  June;  and  the  great 
variety  which  I  found  in  the  colour  of  the  plumage  of  the  head 


CAROLINA  PARROT.  159 

and  neck,  of  both  sexes,  during  the  two  former  of  these  months, 
convinces  me,  that  the  young  birds  do  not  receive  their  full 
colours  until  the  early  part  of  the  succeeding  summer. 

While  Parrots  and  Paroquets,  from  foreign  countries,  abound 
in  almost  every  street  of  our  large  cities,  and  become  such  great 
favourites,  no  attention  seems  to  have  been  paid  to  our  own, 
which  in  elegance  of  figure,  and  beauty  of  plumage,  is  certainly 
superior  to  many  of  them.  It  wants,  indeed,  that  disposition 
for  perpetual  screaming  and  chattering,  that  renders  some  of  the 
former,  pests,  not  only  to  their  keepers,  but  to  the  whole  neigh- 
bourhood in  which  they  reside.  It  is  alike  docile  and  sociable; 
soon  becomes  perfectly  familiar;  and  until  equal  pains  be  taken 
in  its  instruction,  it  is  unfair  to  conclude  it  incapable  of  equal 
improvement  in  the  language  of  man. 

As  so  little  has  hitherto  been  known  of  the  disposition  and 
manners  of  this  species,  the  reader  will  not,  I  hope,  be  displeased 
at  my  detailing  some  of  these,  in  the  history  of  a  particular  fa- 
vourite, my  sole  companion  in  many  a  lonesome  day's  march, 
and  of  which  the  figure  in  the  plate  is  a  faithful  resemblance. 

Anxious  to  try  the  effects  of  education  on  one  of  those  which 
I  procured  at  Big-Bone  lick,  and  which  was  but  slightly  wound- 
ed in  the  wing,  I  fixed  up  a  place  for  it  in  the  stern  of  my  boat, 
and  presented  it  with  some  cockle-burrs,  which  it  freely  fed  on 
in  less  than  an  hour  after  being  on  board.  The  intermediate 
time,  between  eating  and  sleeping,  was  occupied  in  gnawing  the 
sticks  that  formed  its  place  of  confinement,  in  order  to  make  a 
practicable  breach,  which  it  repeatedly  effected.  When  I  aban- 
doned the  river,  and  travelled  by  land,  I  wrapt  it  up  closely  in 
a  silk  handkerchief,  tying  it  tightly  around,  and  carried  it  in 
my  pocket.  When  I  stopped  for  refreshment,  I  unbound  my 
prisoner,  and  gave  it  its  allowance,  which  it  generally  despatched 
with  great  dexterity,  unhusking  the  seeds  from  the  burr  in  a 
twinkling;  in  doing  which  it  always  employed  its  left  foot  to 
hold  the  burr,  as  did  several  others  that  I  kept  for  some  time. 
I  began  to  think  that  this  might  be  peculiar  to  the  whole  tribe, 
and  that  the  whole  were,  if  I  may  use  the  expression,  left-footed; 


160  CAROLINA  PARROT. 

but  by  shooting  a  number  afterwards,  while  engaged  in  eating 
mulberries,  I  found  sometimes  the  left,  sometimes  the  right 
foot,  stained  with  the  fruit;  the  other  always  clean;  from  which, 
and  the  constant,  practice  of  those  I  kept,  it  appears,  that  like 
the  human  species  in  the  use  of  their  hands,  they  do  not  prefer 
one  or  the  other  indiscriminately,  but  are  either  left  or  right- 
footed.  But  to  return  to  my  prisoner.  In  recommitting  it  to 
"durance  vile,"  we  generally  had  a  quarrel;  during  which  it 
frequently  paid  me  in  kind  for  the  .wound  I  had  inflicted,  and 
for  depriving  it  of  liberty,  by  cutting  and  almost  disabling  se- 
veral of  my  fingers  with  its  sharp  and  powerful  bill.  The  path 
through  the  wilderness,  between  Nashville  and  Natchez,  is  in 
some  places  bad  beyond  description.  There  are  dangerous  creeks 
to  swim,  miles  of  morass  to  struggle  through,  rendered  almost 
as  gloomy  as  night  by  a  prodigious  growth  of  timber,  and  an 
underwood  of  canes  and  other  evergreens;  while  the  descent 
into  these  sluggish  streams  is  often  ten  or  fifteen  feet  perpen- 
dicular into  a  bed  of  deep  clay.  In  some  of  the  worst  of  these 
places,  where  I  had,  as  it  were,  to  fight  my  way  through,  the 
Paroquet  frequently  escaped  from  my  pocket,  obliging  me  to 
dismount  and  pursue  it  through  the  worst  of  the  morass,  before 
I  could  regain  it.  On  these  occasions  I  was  several  times  tempt- 
ed to  abandon  it;  but  I  persisted  in  bringing  it  along.  When  at 
night  I  encamped  in  the  woods,  I  placed  it  on  the  baggage  be- 
side me,  where  it  usually  sat,  with  great  composure,  dozing  and 
gazing  at  the  fire  till  morning.  In  this  manner  I  carried  it  up- 
wards of  a  thousand  miles  in  my  pocket,  where  it  was  exposed 
all  day  to  the  jolting  of  the  horse,  but  regularly  liberated  at  meal 
times,  and  in  the  evening,  at  which  it  always  expressed  great 
satisfaction.  In  passing  through  the  Chickasaw  and  Chactaw 
nations,  the  Indians,  wherever  I  stopped  to  feed,  collected 
around  me,  men,  women  and  children,  laughing  and  seeming 
wonderfully  amused  with  the  novelty  of  my  companion.  The 
Chickasaws  called  it  in  their  language  "  Kelinky;"  but  when 
they  heard  me  call  it  Poll,  they  soon  repeated  the  name;  and 
wherever  I  chanced  to  stop  among  these  people,  we  soon  became 


CAROLINA  PARROT.  161 

familiar  with  each  other  through  the  medium  of  Poll.  On  ar- 
riving at  Mr.  Dunbar's,  below  Natchez,  I  procured  a  cage,  and 
placed  it  under  the  piazza,  where  by  its  call  it  soon  attracted 
the  passing  flocks,  such  is  the  attachment  they  have  for  each 
other.  Numerous  parties  frequently  alighted  on  the  trees  im- 
mediately above,  keeping  up  a  constant  conversation  with  the 
prisoner.  One  of  these  I  wounded  slightly  in  the  wing,  and  the 
pleasure  Poll  expressed  on  meeting  with  this  new  companion 
was  really  amusing.  She  crept  close  up  to  it,  as  it  hung  on  the 
side  of  the  cage,  chattered  to  it  in  a  low  tone  of  voice,  as  if 
sympathizing  in  its  misfortune,  scratched  about  its  head  and 
neck  with  her  bill;  and  both  at  night  nestled  as  close  as  possible 
to  each  other,  sometimes  Poll's  head  being  thrust  among  the 
plumage  of  the  other.  On  the  death  of  this  companion,  she  ap- 
peared restless  and  inconsolable  for  several  days.  On  reaching 
New  Orleans,  I  placed  a  looking-glass  beside  the  place  where 
she  usually  sat,  and  the  instant  she  perceived  her  image,  all  her 
former  fondness  seemed  to  return,  so  that  she  could  scarcely 
absent  herself  from  it  a  moment.  It  was  evident  that  she  was 
completely  deceived.  Always  when  evening  drew  on,  and  often 
during  the  day,  she  laid  her  head  close  to  that  of  the  image  in 
the  glass,  and  began  to  doze  with  great  composure  and  satisfac- 
tion. In  this  short  space  she  had  learnt  to  know  her  name;  to 
answer  and  come  when  called  on;  to  climb  up  my  clothes,  sit 
on  my  shoulder,  and  eat  from  my  mouth.  I  took  her  with  me  to 
sea,  determined  to  persevere  in  her  education;  but,  destined  to 
another  fate,  poor  Poll,  having  one  morning  about  day-break 
wrought  her  way  through  the  cage,  while  I  was  asleep,  instantly 
flew  overboard,  and  perished  in  the  gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  Carolina,  or  Illinois  Parrot,  (for  it  has  been  described 
under  both  these  appellations)  is  thirteen  inches  long,  and  twen- 
ty-one in  extent;  forehead  and  cheeks  orange  red;  beyond  this, 
for  an  inch  and  a  half,  down  and  round  the  neck,  a  rich  and 
pure  yellow;  shoulder  and  bend  of  the  wing  also  edged  with 
rich  orange  red;  the  general  colour  of  the  rest  of  the  plumage 

is  a  bright  yellowish  silky  green,  with  light  blue  reflections, 
VOL.  i. — z  z 


162  CAROLINA  PARROT. 

lightest  and  most  diluted  with  yellow  below;  greater  wing-cov- 
erts, and  roots  of  the  primaries,  yellow,  slightly  tinged  with 
green;  interior  webs  of  the  primaries  deep  dusky  purple,  almost 
black,  exterior  ones  bluish  green ;  tail  long,  cuneiform,  consist- 
ing of  twelve  feathers,  the  exterior  one  only  half  the  length, 
the  others  increasing  to  the  middle  ones,  which  are  streaked 
along  the  middle  with  light  blue;  shafts  of  all  the  larger  feath- 
ers, and  of  most  part  of  the  green  plumage,  black;  knees  and 
vent  orange  yellow;  feet  a  pale  whitish  flesh  colour;  claws  black; 
bill  white,  or  slightly  tinged  with  pale  cream;  iris  of  the  eye 
hazel;  round  the  eye  is  a  small  space,  without  feathers,  covered 
with  a  whitish  skin;  nostrils  placed  in  an  elevated  membrane 
at  the  base  of  the  bill,  and  covered  with  feathers;  chin  wholly 
bare  of  feathers,  but  concealed  by  those  descending  on  each  side; 
from  each  side  of  the  palate  hangs  a  lobe  or  skin  of  a  blackish 
colour;  tongue  thick  and  fleshy;  inside  of  the  upper  mandible, 
near  the  point,  grooved  exactly  like  a  file,  that  it  may  hold  with 
more  security. 

The  female  differs  very  little  in  her  colours  and  markings 
from  the  male.  After  examining  numerous  specimens,  the  fol- 
lowing appear  to  be  the  principal  differences.  The  yellow  on 
the  neck  of  the  female  does  not  descend  quite  so  far;  the  inte- 
rior vanes  of  the  primaries  are  brownish  instead  of  black;  and 
the  orange  red  on  the  bend  and  edges  of  the  wing  is  considera- 
bly narrower;  in  other  respects  the  colours  and  markings  are 
nearly  the  same. 

The  young  birds  of  the  preceding  year,  of  both  sexes,  are 
generally  destitute  of  the  yellow  on  the  head  and  neck,  until 
about  the  beginning  or  middle  of  March,  having  those  parts 
wholly  green,  except  the  front  and  cheeks,  which  are  orange 
red  in  them,  as  in  the  full  grown  birds.  Towards  the  middle 
of  March,  the  yellow  begins  to  appear  in  detached  feathers,  in- 
terspersed among  the  green,  varying  in  different  individuals. 
In  some  which  I  killed  about  the  last  of  that  month,  only  a  few 
green  feathers  remained  among  the  yellow;  and  these  were  fast 
assuming  the  yellow  tint;  for  the  colour  changes  without  change 


CAROLINA  PARROT.  163 

of  plumage.  A  number  of  these  birds,  in  all  their  grades  of 
progressive  change  from  green  to  yellow,  have  been  deposited 
in  Peale's  museum. 

What  is  called  by  Europeans  the  Illinois  Parrot,  (Psittacus 
pertinax)  is  evidently  the  young  bird  in  its  imperfect  colours. 
Whether  the  present  species  be  found  as  far  south  as  Brasil,  as 
these  writers  pretend,  I  am  unable  to  say;  but  from  the  great 
extent  of  country  in  which  I  have  myself  killed  and  examined 
these  birds,  I  am  satisfied  that  the  present  species,  now  described, 
is  the  only  one  inhabiting  the  United  States. 

Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  I  have  had  an  opportunity, 
by  the  death  of  a  tame  Carolina  Paroquet,  to  ascertain  the  fact 
of  the  poisonous  effects  of  their  head  and  intestines  on  cats. 
Having  shut  up  a  cat  and  her  two  kittens,  (the  latter  only  a  few 
days  old, )  in  a  room  with  the  head,  neck,  and  whole  intestines 
of  the  Paroquet,  I  found  on  the  next  morning  the  whole  eaten, 
except  a  small  part  of  the  bill.  The  cat  exhibited  no  symptom 
of  sickness;  and  at  this  moment,  three  days  after  the  experiment 
has  been  made,  she  and  her  kittens  are  in  their  usual  health. 
Still,  however,  the  effect  might  have  been  different,  had  the 
daily  food  of  the  bird  been  cockle  burrs,  instead  of  Indian  corn. 

Note — From  Mr.  T.  Peale,  who  was  attached  to  the  expe- 
dition commanded  by  Major  Long,  I  learn,  that  during  the 
time  the  party  wintered  at  Engineer  Cantonment,  nearly  eight 
hundred  miles  up  the  Missouri,  they  observed  this  species,  at 
various  periods,  from  the  beginning  of  December,  until  the  mid- 
dle of  February,  although  the  thermometer  (Fahrenheit)  once 
sunk  as  low  as  22°  below  zero.  Mr.  Peale  is  of  opinion  that  the 
Paroquet  migrates  rather  in  quest  of  food,  than  in  consequence 
of  the  cold.  Being,  like  the  wild  Pigeon,  a  bird  of  vigorous 
wing,  and  of  a  roving  disposition,  a  journey  of  a  few  hundred 
miles  can  occasion  it  but  a  very  little  trouble.  G.  Ord. 


GENUS  13.  CORVUS.    CROW. 

SPECIES  1.    C.   CORrfX. 

RAVEN. 

[Plate  LXXV.— Fig.  3.] 

GMEL.  8yst.  i,  p.  364.— Ind.  Orn.  p.  150.— Le  Corbeau,  BRISS.  2, 
p.  8,  et  van— BUFF.  Ois.  3,  p.  13.  Pi.  enZ.  495. — TEMM.  Man. 
d'  0rw.  p.  107. — 72avew,  LATH.  Gen.  Syn.  i,  p.  367.  /tJ.  swp.  p. 
74.— PENN.  flri*.  Zool.  JVo.  74.  .flrc*.  ZooZ.  JVo.  134.— SHAW, 
Gen.  ZooL  7,  p.  341. — BEWICK,  i,^p.  100.— Low,  Fauna  Orca- 
densis,p.  45. — PEALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  175. 

A  KNOWLEDGE  of  this  celebrated  bird  has  been  handed  down 
to  us  from  the  earliest  ages;  and  its  history  is  almost  coeval 
with  that  of  man.  In  the  best  and  most  ancient  of  all  books, 
we  learn,  that  at  the  end  of  forty  days,  after  the  great  flood  had 
covered  the  earth,  Noah,  wishing  to  ascertain  whether  or  not 
the  waters  had  abated,  sent  forth  a  raven,  which  did  not  return 
into  the  ark.  *  This  is  the  first  notice  that  is  taken  of  this  spe- 
cies. Though  the  Raven  was  declared  unclean  by  the  law  of 
Moses,  yet  we  are  informed,  that  when  the  prophet  Elijah  pro- 
voked the  enmity  of  Ahab,  by  prophesying  against  him,  and 
hid  himself  by  the  brook  Cherith,  the  Ravens  were  appointed 
by  Heaven  to  bring  him  his  daily  food.!  The  colour  of  the 
Raven  gave  rise  to  a  similitude  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of 
eclogues,  which  has  been  perpetuated  in  all  subsequent  ages, 
and  which  is  not  less  pleasing  for  being  trite  or  proverbial.  The 
favourite  of  the  royal  lover  of  Jerusalem,  in  the  enthusiasm  of 
affection,  thus  describes  the  object  of  her  adoration,  in  reply  to 
the  following  question: 

*  Genesis,  viii,  7.  t  1  King's,  xvii,  5,  6. 


RAVEN.  165 

"  What  is  thy  beloved  more  than  another  beloved,  0  thou 
fairest  among  women?"  "  My  beloved  is  white  and  ruddy, 
the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand.  His  head  is  as  the  most  fine 
gold,  his  locks  are  bushy,  and  black  as  a  JRaven."* 

The  above  mentioned  circumstances  taken  into  consideration, 
one  should  suppose  that  the  lot  of  the  subject  of  this  chapter 
would  have  been  of  a  different  complexion  from  what  history 
and  tradition  inform  us  is  the  fact.  But  in  every  country,  we 
are  told,  the  Raven  is  considered  an  ominous  bird,  whose  croak- 
ings  foretel  approaching  evil;  and  many  a  crooked  beldam  has 
given  interpretation  to  these  oracles,  of  a  nature  to  infuse  terror 
into  a  whole  community.  Hence  this  ill-fated  bird,  immemori- 
ally,  has  been  the  innocent  subject  of  vulgar  obloquy  and  de- 
testation. 

Augury,  or  the  art  of  foretelling  future  events  by  the  flight, 
cries,  or  motions  of  birds,  descended  from  the  Chaldeans  to  the 
Greeks,  thence  to  the  Etrurians,  and  from  them  it  was  transmit- 
ted to  the  Romans.!  The  crafty  legislators  of  these  celebrated 
nations,  from  a  deep  knowledge  of  human  nature,  made  super- 
stition a  principal  feature  of  their  religious  ceremonies;  well 
knowing  that  it  required  a  more  than  ordinary  policy  to  govern 
a  multitude,  ever  liable  to  the  fatal  influences  of  passion;  and 

*  Song  of  Solomon,  v,  9,  10,  11. 

t  That  the  science  of  augury  is  very  ancient,  we  learn  from  the  Hebrew 
lawgiver,  who  prohibits  it,  as  well  as  every  other  kind  of  divination.  Deut. 
chap,  xviii.  The  Romans  derived  their  knowledge  of  augury  chiefly  from 
the  Tuscans  or  Etrurians,  who  practised  it  in  the  earliest  times.  This  art 
was  known  in  Italy  before  the  time  of  Romulus,  since  that  prince  did  not 
commence  the  building1  of  Rome  till  he  had  taken  the  auguries.  The  succes- 
sors of  Romulus,  from  a  conviction  of  the  usefulness  of  the  science,  and  at 
the  same  time  not  to  render  it  contemptible,  by  becoming  too  familiar,  em- 
ployed the  most  skilful  augurs  from  Etruria,  to  introduce  the  practice  of  it 
into  their  religious  ceremonies.  And  by  a  decree  of  the  senate,  some  of  the 
youth  of  the  best  families  in  Rome  were  annually  sent  into  Tuscany,  to  be 
instructed  in  this  art.  Vide  Ciceron.  de  Divin,  Also  Calmet,  and  the  abbe 
Banier, 


166  RAVEN. 

who,  without  some  timely  restraints,  would  burst  forth  like  a 
torrent,  whose  course  is  marked  by  wide-spreading  desolation. 
Hence,  to  the  purposes  of  polity  the  Raven  was  made  subser- 
vient; and  the  Romans  having  consecrated  it  to  Apollo,  as  to 
the  god  of  divination,  its  flight  was  observed  with  the  greatest 
solemnity;  and  its  tones  and  inflections  of  voice  were  noted 
with  a  precision,  which  intimated  a  belief  in  its  infallible  pre- 
science. 

But  the  ancients  have  not  been  the  only  people  infected  with 
this  species  of  superstition;  the  moderns,  even  though  favoured 
with  the  light  of  Christianity,  have  exhibited  as  much  folly, 
through  the  impious  curiosity  of  prying  into  futurity,  as  the 
Romans  themselves.  It  is  true  that  modern  nations  have  not 
instituted  their  sacred  colleges  or  sacerdotal  orders,  for  the  pur- 
poses of  divination;  but  in  all  countries  there  have  been  self- 
constituted  augurs,  whose  interpretations  of  omens  have  been 
received  with  religious  respect  by  the  credulous  multitude. 
Even  at  this  moment,  in  some  parts  of  the  world,  if  a  Raven 
alight  on  a  village  church,  the  whole  fraternity  is  in  an  uproar; 
and  Heaven  is  importuned,  in  all  the  ardour  of  devotion,  to 
avert  the  impending  calamity. 

The  poets  have  taken  advantage  of  this  weakness  of  human 
nature,  and  in  their  hands  the  Raven  is  a  fit  instrument  of  ter- 
ror. Shakspeare  puts  the  following  malediction  into  the  mouth 
of  his  Caliban: 

"  As  wicked  dew,  as  ere  my  mother  brush'd, 
With  Raven's  feather,  from  unwholesome  fen 
Drop  on  you  both!"* 

The  ferocious  wife  of  Macbeth,  on  being  advised  of  the  ap- 
proach of  Duncan,  whose  death  she  had  conspired,  thus  ex- 
claims: 

"  The  Raven  himself  is  hoarse, 
That  croaks  the  fatal  entrance  of  Duncan 
Under  my  battlements  !"f 

*  Tempest,  act  i,  scene  2.  t  Act  i,  scene  5. 


RAVEN.  167 

The  Moor  of  Venice  says: 

"  It  comes  o'er  my  memory, 
As  doth  the  Raven  o'er  the  infected  house, 
Boding  to  all."* 

The  last  quotation  alludes  to  the  supposed  habit  of  this  bird's 
flying  over  those  houses  which  contain  the  sick,  whose  dissolu- 
tion is  at  hand,  and  thereby  announced.  Thus  Marlowe,  in  the 
Jew  of  Malta,  as  cited  by  Malone: 

"  The  sad  presaging  Raven  tolls 

The  sick  man's  passport  in  her  hollow  beak, 

And  in  the  shadow  of  the  silent  night 

Doth  shake  contagion  from  her  sable  wing." 

But  it  is  the  province  of  philosophy  to  dispel  those  illusions 
which  bewilder  the  mind,  by  pointing  out  the  simple  truths 
which  Nature  has  been  at  no  pains  to  conceal,  but  which  the 
folly  of  mankind  has  shrouded  in  all  the  obscurity  of  mystery. 

The  Raven  is  a  general  inhabitant  of  the  United  States,  but 
is  more  common  in  the  interior.  On  the  lakes,  and  particularly 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Falls  of  the  river  Niagara,  they 
are  numerous;  and  it  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  where  they  so 
abound,  the  Common  Crow,  C.  corone,  seldom  makes  its  ap- 
pearance; being  intimidated,  it  is  conjectured,  by  the  superior 
size  and  strength  of  the  former,  or  by  an  antipathy  which  the 
two  species  manifest  towards  each  other.  This  I  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  observing  myself,  in  a  journey  during  the  months  of 
August  and  September,  along  the  lakes  Erie  and  Ontario.  The 
Ravens  were  seen  every  day,  prowling  about  in  search  of  the 
dead  fish,  which  the  waves  are  continually  casting  ashore,  and 
which  afford  them  an  abundance  of  a  favourite  food;  but  I  did 
not  see  or  hear  a  single  Crow  within  several  miles  of  the  lakes; 
and  but  very  few  through  the  whole  of  the  Gennesee  country. 

The  food  of  this  species  is  dead  animal  matter  of  all  kinds, 

*  Othello,  act  iv,  scene  1. 


168  RAVEN. 

not  excepting  the  most  putrid  carrion,  which  it  devours  in  com- 
mon with  the  Vultures;  worms,  grubs,  reptiles  and  shell-fish, 
the  last  of  which,  in  the  manner  of  the  Crow,  it  drops  from  a 
considerable  height  in  the  air,  on  the  rocks,  in  order  to  break 
the  shells;  it  is  fond  of  birds'  eggs,  and  is  often  observed  sneak- 
ing around  the  farm-house,  in  search  of  the  eggs  of  the  domestic 
poultry,  which  it  sucks  with  eagerness;  it  is  likewise  charged 
with  destroying  young  ducks  and  chickens,  and  lambs  which 
have  been  yeaned  in  a  sickly  state.  The  Raven,  it  is  said,  fol- 
lows the  hunters  of  deer,  for  the  purpose  of  falling  heir  to  the 
offal;*  and  the  huntsmen  are  obliged  to  cover  their  game,  when 
it  is  left  in  the  woods,  with  their  hunting  frocks,  to  protect  it 
from  this  thievish  connoisseur,  who,  if  he  have  an  opportunity, 
will  attack  the  region  of  the  kidneys,  and  mangle  the  saddle 
without  ceremony. 

Buffon  says  that  "  the  Raven  plucks  out  the  eyes  of  Buffa- 
loes, and  then,  fixing  on  the,  back,  it  tears  off  the  flesh  deli- 
berately; and  what  renders  the  ferocity  more  detestable,  it  is 
not  incited  by  the  cravings  of  hunger,  but  by  the  appetite  for 
carnage;  for  it  can  subsist  on  fruits,  seed  of  all  kinds,  and  indeed 
may  be  considered  as  an  omnivorous  animal."  This  is  mere 
fable,  and  of  a  piece  with  many  other  absurdities  of  the  same 
agreeable,  but  fanciful  author. 

This  species  is  found  almost  all  over  the  habitable  globe. 
We  trace  it  in  the  north  from  Norway  to  Greenland,  and  hear 
of  it  in  Kamtschatka.  It  is  common  every  where  in  Russia  and 
Siberia,  except  within  the  Arctic  circle  ;t  and  all  through  Eu- 
rope. Kolben  enumerates  the  Raven  among  the  birds  of  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope;:):  De  Grandpre  represents  it  as  numerous 
in  Bengal,  where  they  are  said  to  be  protected  for  their  useful- 
ness ;§  and  the  unfortunate  La  Perouse  saw  them  at  Bale  de 

*  This  is  the  case  in  those  parts  of  the  United  States  where  the  deer  are 
hunted  without  dogs:  where  these  are  employed,  they  are  generally  rewarded 
with  the  offal. 

f  Latham.  %  Medley's  Kolben,  vol.  ii,  p.  136. 

§  Voy.  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  p.  148. 


RAVEN.  169 

Castries,  on  the  east  coast  of  Tartary ;  likewise  at  Port  des  Fran- 
§ois;  58°  37'  north  latitude,  and  139°  50'  west  longitude ;  and  at 
Monterey  Bay,  north  California.  *  The  English  circumnaviga- 
tors met  with  them  at  Nootka  Sound  ;t  and  at  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  two  being  seen  in  the  village  of  Kakooa;  also  at  Owhy- 
hee,  and  supposed  to  be  adored  there,  as  they  were  called 
Eatoos.J  Our  intrepid  American  travellers,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Lewis  and  Clark,  shortly  after  they  embarked  on  the 
river  Columbia,  saw  abundance  of  Ravens,  which  were  attracted 
thither  by  the  immense  quantity  of  dead  salmon  which  lined 
the  shores.  §  They  are  found  at  all  seasons  at  Hudson's  Bay;|| 
are  frequent  in  Mexico ;!  and  it  is  more  than  probable  that  they 
inhabit  the  whole  continent  of  America. 

The  Raven  measures,  from  the  tip  of  the  bill  to  the  end  of 
the  tail,  twenty-six  inches,  and  is  four  feet  in  extent;  the  bill 
is  large  and  strong,  of  a  shining  black,  notched  near  the  tip,  and 
three  inches  long,  the  setaceous  feathers  which  cover  the  nos- 
trils extend  half  its  length;  the  eyes  are  black;  the  general  colour 
is  a  deep  glossy  black,  with  steel-blue  reflections;  the  lower 
parts  are  less  glossy;  the  tail  is  rounded,  and  extends  about  two 
inches  beyond  the  wings;  the  legs  are  two  inches  and  a  half  in 
length,  and,  with  the  feet,  are  strong  and  black;  the  claws  are 
long. 

This  bird  is  said  to  attain  to  a  great  age;  and  its  plumage  to 
be  subject  to  change,  from  the  influence  of  years  and  of  climate. 
It  is  found  in  Iceland  and  Greenland  entirely  white. 

The  Raven  was  the  constant  attendant  of  Lewis  and  Clark's 
party,  in  their  long  and  toilsome  journey.  During  the  winter, 
at  Fort  Mandan,  they  were  observed  in  immense  numbers, 
notwithstanding  the  cold  was  so  excessive,  that,  on  the  seven- 
teenth of  December,  1804,  the  thermometer  of  Fahrenheit  stood 
at  45°  below  0. 

*  Voy.  par  I.  F.  G.  De  la  Pe"rouse,  ii,  p.  129,  203,  443. 
f  Cook's  last  voy.  ii,  p.  236.   Am.  ed.  \  Idem,  iii,  p.  329. 

§  Gass's  Journal,  p.  153.  ||  Charlevoix.  Kalm.  Hearne's  Journey. 

II  Fernandez. 
VOL.   I. 3  A 


-•-, 

170  RAVEN. 

Like  the  Crow,  this  species  may  be  easily  domesticated,  and 
in  that  state  would  afford  amusement,  by  its  familiarity,  frolics 
and  sagacity.  But  such  noisy  and  mischievous  pets,  in  common 
with  Parrots  and  Monkeys,  are  not  held  in  high  estimation  in 
this  quarter  of  the  globe;  and  are  generally  overlooked  for  those 
universal  favourites,  which  either  gratify  the  eye  by  the  neat- 
ness or  brilliancy  of  their  plumage,  or  delight  the  ear  by  the 
simplicity  or  variety  of  their  song. 


SPECIES  2.     CORPUS  CORONE.* 

CROW. 
[Plate  XXXV.— Fig.   3.] 

PEALE'S  Museum,  No.  1246. 

THIS  is  perhaps  the  most  generally  known,  and  least  beloved, 
of  all  our  land  birds;  having  neither  melody  of  song,  nor  beau- 
ty of  plumage,  nor  excellence  of  flesh,  nor  civility  of  manners, 
to  recommend  him;  on  the  contrary,  he  is  branded  as  a  thief 
and  a  plunderer;  a  kind  of  black-coated  vagabond,  who  hovers 
over  the  fields  of  the  industrious,  fattening  on  their  labours;  and 
by  his  voracity  often  blasting  their  expectations.  Hated  as  he 
is  by  the  farmer,  watched  and  persecuted  by  almost  every  bear- 
er of  a  gun,  who  all  triumph  in  his  destruction,  had  not  heaven 
bestowed  on  him  intelligence  and  sagacity  far  beyond  common, 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  whole  tribe  (in  these  parts  at 
least)  would  long  ago  have  ceased  to  exist. 

The  Crow  is  a  constant  attendant  on  agriculture,  and  a  gene- 
ral inhabitant  of  the  cultivated  parts  of  North  America.  In  the 
interior  of  the  forest  he  is  more  rare,  unless  during  the  season 
of  breeding.  He  is  particularly  attached  to  low  flat  corn  coun- 
tries, lying  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  sea  or  of  large  rivers; 
and  more  numerous  in  the  northern  than  southern  states,  where 
Vultures  abound,  and  with  whom  the  Crows  are  unable  to  con- 
tend. A  strong  antipathy,  it  is  also  said,  prevails  between  the 
Crow  and  the  Raven,  insomuch  that,  where  the  latter  are  nu- 
merous, the  former  rarely  resides.  Many  of  the  first  settlers  of 
the  Gennesee  country  informed  me,  that,  for  a  long  time,  Ra- 
vens were  numerous  with  them,  but  no  Crows;  and  even  now 

*  We  give  the  following  synonymes:  Corvus  cor  one,  LINN.  Syst.  ed.  10,  i,  p. 
105.— GMEL.  Syst.  1,  p.  365.— LATH.  Ind.  Orn.  p.  151 — TEMM.  Man.  d'Orn. 
i,  p.  108. 


172  CROW. 

the  latter  are  seldom  observed  in  that  country.  In  travelling 
from  Nashville  to  Natchez,  a  distance  of  four  hundred  and  sev- 
enty miles,  I  saw  few  or  no  Crows,  but  Ravens  frequently,  and 
Vultures  in  great  numbers. 

The  usual  breeding  time  of  the  Crow,  in  Pennsylvania,  is  in 
March,  April,  and  May,  during  which  season  they  are  dispers- 
ed over  the  woods  in  pairs,  and  roost  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  tree  they  have  selected  for  their  nest.  About  the  middle  of 
March  they  begin  to  build,  generally  choosing  a  high  tree; 
though  I  have  also  known  them  prefer  a  middle  sized  cedar. 
One  of  their  nests,  now  before  me,  is  formed  externally  of  sticks, 
wet  moss,  thin  bark  mixed  with  mossy  earth,  and  lined  with 
large  quantities  of  horse  hair,  to  the  amount  of  more  than  half 
a  pound,  some  cow  hair,  and  some  wool,  forming  a  very  soft  and 
elastic  bed.  The  eggs  are  four,  of  a  pale  green  colour,  marked 
with  numerous  specks  and  blotches  of  olive. 

During  this  interesting  season,  the  male  is  extremely  watch- 
ful, making  frequent  excursions  of  half  a  mile  or  so  in  circuit, 
to  reconnoitre;  and  the  instant  he  observes  a  person  approaching, 
he  gives  the  alarm,  when  both  male  and  female  retire  to  a  dis- 
tance, till  the  intruder  has  gone  past.  He  also  regularly  carries 
food  to  his  mate  while  she  is  sitting;  occasionally  relieves  her; 
and  when  she  returns,  again  resigns  up  his  post.  At  this  time 
also,  as  well  as  until  the  young  are  able  to  fly,  they  preserve 
uncommon  silence,  that  their  retreat  may  not  be  suspected. 

It  is  in  the  month  of  May,  and  until  the  middle  of  June,  that 
the  Crow  is  most  destructive  to  the  corn-fields,  digging  up  the 
newly  planted  grains  of  maize,  pulling  up  by  the  roots  those 
that  have  begun  to  vegetate,  and  thus  frequently  obliging  the 
farmer  to  replant,  or  lose  the  benefit  of  the  soil;  and  this 
sometimes  twice,  and  even  three  times,  occasioning  a  consider- 
able additional  expense  and  inequality  of  harvest.  No  mercy  is 
now  shown  him.  The  myriads  of  worms,  moles,  mice,  caterpil- 
lars, grubs  and  beetles,  which  he  has  destroyed,  are  altogether 
overlooked  on  these  occasions.  Detected  in  robbing  the  hens' 
nests,  pulling  up  the  corn,  and  killing  the  young  chickens,  he 


CROW.  173 

is  considered  as  an  outlaw,  and  sentenced  to  destruction.  But 
the  great  difficulty  is,  how  to  put  this  sentence  in  execution. 
In  vain  the  gunner  skulks  along  the  hedges  and  fences;  his  faith- 
ful centinels,  planted  on  some  commanding  point,  raise  the  alarm, 
and  disappoint  vengeance  of  its  object.  The  coast  again  clear, 
he  returns  once  more  in  silence  to  finish  the  repast  he  had  be- 
gun. Sometimes  he  approaches  the  farm-house  by  stealth,  in 
search  of  young  chickens,  which  he  is  in  the  habit  of  snatching 
off,  when  he  can  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  mother  hen,  who 
often  proves  too  formidable  for  him.  A  few  days  ago  a  Crow 
was  observed  eagerly  attempting  to  seize  some  young  chickens 
in  an  orchard,  near  the  room  where  I  write;  but  these  cluster- 
ing close  round  the  hen,  she  resolutely  defended  them,  drove 
the  Crow,  into  an  apple-tree,  whither  she  instantly  pursued  him 
with  such  spirit  and  intrepidity,  that  he  was  glad  to  make  a 
speedy  retreat,  and  abandon  his  design. 

The  Crow  himself  sometimes  falls  a  prey  to  the  superior 
strength  and  rapacity  of  the  Great  Owl,  whose  weapons  of  of- 
fence are  by  far  the  more  formidable  of  the  two.  * 

*  "A  few  years  ago,"  says  an  obliging1  correspondent,  "  I  resided  on  the 
banks  of  the  Hudson,  about  seven  miles  from  the  city  of  New  York.  Not  far 
from  the  place  of  my  residence  was  a  pretty  thick  wood  or  swamp,  in  which, 
great  numbers  of  Crows,  who  used  to  cross  the  river  from  the  opposite  shore, 
were  accustomed  to  roost.  Returning  homeward  one  afternoon  from  a  shoot- 
ing excursion,  I  had  occasion  to  pass  through  this  swamp.  It  was  near  sunset, 
and  troops  of  Crows  were  flying  in  all  directions  over  my  head.  While  en- 
gaged in  observing  their  flight,  and  endeavouring  to  select  from  among  them 
an  object  to  shoot  at,  my  ears  were  suddenly  assailed  by  the  distressful  cries  of 
a  Crow,  who  was  evidently  struggling  under  the  talons  of  a  merciless  and  rapa- 
cious enemy.  I  hastened  to  the  spot  whence  the  sounds  proceeded,  and  to  my 
great  surprise,  found  a  Crow  lying  on  the  ground,  just  expiring,  and  seated 
upon  the  body  of  the  yet  warm  and  bleeding  quarry,  a  large  brown  Owl,  who  was 
beginning  to  make  a  meal  of  the  unfortunate  robber  of  corn-fields.  Perceiving 
my  approach,  he  forsook  his  prey  with  evident  reluctance,  and  flew  into  a  tree 
at  a  little  distance,  where  he  sat  watching  all  my  movements,  alternately  re- 
garding, with  longing  eyes,  the  victim  he  had  been  forced  to  leave,  and  darting 
at  me  no  very  friendly  looks,  that  seemed  to  reproach  me  for  having  deprived 


174  CROW. 

Towards  the  close  of  summer,  the  parent  Crows,  with  their 
new  families,  forsaking  their  solitary  lodgings,  collect  together, 
as  if  by  previous  agreement,  when  evening  approaches.  About 
an  hour  before  sunset,  they  are  first  observed,  flying  somewhat 
in  Indian  file,  in  one  direction,  at  a  short  height  above  the  tops 
of  the  trees,  silent  and  steady,  keeping  the  general  curvature  of 
the  ground,  continuing  to  pass  sometimes  till  after  sunset,  so 
that  the  whole  line  of  march  would  extend  for  many  miles. 
This  circumstance,  so  familiar  and  picturesque,  has  not  been 
overlooked  by  the  poets,  in  their  descriptions  of  a  rural  even- 
ing. Burns,  in  a  single  line,  has  finely  sketched  it 

"  The  black'ning  train  of  Craws  to  their  repose." 

The  most  noted  Crow-roost  with  which  I  am  acquainted  is 
near  Newcastle,  on  an  island  in  the  Delaware.  It  is  there  known 
by  the  name  of  the  Pea-Patch,  and  is  a  low  flat  alluvial  spot, 
of  a  few  acres,  elevated  but  a  little  above  high- water  mark,  and 
covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  reeds.  This  appears  to  be  the 

him  of  his  expected  regale.  I  confess  that  the  scene  before  me  was  altogether 
novel  and  surprising.  I  am  but  little  conversant  with  natural  history  5  but  I 
had  always  understood,  that  the  depredations  of  the  Owl  were  confined  to  the 
smaller  birds,  and  animals  of  the  lesser  kind;  such  as  mice,  young  rabbits,  &c. 
and  that  he  obtained  his  prey  rather  by  fraud  and  stratagem,  than  by  open 
rapacity  and  violence.  I  was  the  more  confirmed  in  this  belief,  from  the  recol- 
lection of  a  passage  in  Macbeth,  which  now  forcibly  recurred  to  my  mem- 
ory. The  courtiers  of  King  Duncan  are  recounting  to  each  other  the  various 
prodigies  that  preceded  liis  death,  and  one  of  them  relates  to  his  wondering 
auditors,  that 

*  An  Eagle,  tow'ring  in  his  pride  of  place, 

*  Was,  by  a  mousing  Owl,  hawk'd  at  and  kill'd.' 

But  to  resume  my  relation.  That  the  Owl  was  the  murderer  of  the  unfortu- 
nate Crow,  there  could  be  no  doubt.  No  other  bird  of  prey  was  in  sight;  I 
had  not  fired  my  gun  since  I  entered  the  wood;  nor  heard  any  one  else  shoot: 
besides,  the  unequivocal  situation  in  which  I  found  the  parties,  would  have 
been  sufficient  before  any  *  twelve  good  men  and  true,'  or  a  jury  of  Crows, 
to  have  convicted  him  of  his  guilt.  It  is  proper  to  add,  that  I  avenged  the 
death  of  the  hapless  Crow,  by  a  well-aimed  shot  at  the  felonious  robber,  that 
extended  him  breathless  on  the  ground. " 


CROW. 


175 


grand  rendezvous,  or  head-quarters  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
Crows  within  forty  or  fifty  miles  of  the  spot.  It  is  entirely  des- 
titute of  trees,  the  Crows  alighting  and  nestling  among  the 
reeds,  which  by  these  means  are  broken  down  and  matted  to- 
gether. The  noise  created  by  those  multitudes,  both  in  their 
evening  assembly,  and  re-ascension  in  the  morning;  and  the 
depredations  they  commit  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of 
this  great  resort,  are  almost  incredible.  Whole  fields  of  corn 
are  sometimes  laid  waste,  by  thousands  alighting  on  it  at  once, 
with  appetites  whetted  by  the  fast  of  the  preceding  night;  and 
the  utmost  vigilance  is  unavailing  to  prevent,  at  least,  a  partial 
destruction  of  this  their  favourite  grain.  Like  the  stragglers  of  an 
immense,  undisciplined,  and  rapacious,  army,  they  spread  them- 
selves over  the  fields,  to  plunder  and  destroy  wherever  they 
alight.  It  is  here  that  the  character  of  the  Crow  is  universally 
execrated;  and  to  say  to  the  man  who  has  lost  his  crop  of  corn  by 
these  birds,  that  Crows  are  exceedingly  useful  for  destroying 
vermin,  would  be  as  consolatory  as  to  tell  him  who  had  just 
lost  his  house  and  furniture  by  the  flames,  that  fires  are  excel- 
lent for  destroying  bugs. 

The  strong  attachment  of  the  Crows  to  this  spot  may  be  illus- 
trated by  the  following  circumstance.  Some  years  ago,  a  sud- 
den and  violent  north-east  storm  came  on  during  the  night,  and 
the  tide  rising  to  an  uncommon  height  inundated  the  whole  isl- 
and. The  darkness  of  the  night,  the  suddenness  and  violence 
of  the  storm,  and  the  incessant  torrents  of  rain  that  fell,  it  is 
supposed,  so  intimidated  the  Crows,  that  they  did  not  attempt 
to  escape,  and  almost  all  perished.  Thousands  of  them,  were 
next  day  seen  floating  in  the  river;  and  the  wind  shifting  to  the 
north-west,  drove  their  dead  bodies  to  the  Jersey  side,  where 
for  miles  they  blackened  the  whole  shore. 

This  disaster,  however,  seems  long  ago  to  have  been  repair- 
ed; for  they  now  congregate  on  the  Pea-Patch  in  as  immense 
multitudes  as  ever.  * 

*  The  following  is  extracted  from  a  late  number  of  a  newspaper  printed  in 
that  neighbourhood:  "  The  farmers  of  Red  Lion  Hundred  held  a  meeting  at 


176  CROW. 

So  universal  is  the  hatred  to  Crows,  that  few  states,  either 
here  or  in  Europe,  have  neglected  to  offer  rewards  for  their  de- 
struction. In  the  United  States  they  have  been  repeatedly  rank- 
ed in  our  laws  with -the  wolves,  the  panthers,  foxes  and  squir- 
rels, and  a  proportionable  premium  offered  for  their  heads,  to  be 
paid  by  any  justice  of  the  peace  to  whom  they  are  delivered. 
On  all  these  accounts  various  modes  have  been  invented  for  cap- 
turing them.  They  have  been  taken  in  clap-nets  commonly 
used  for  taking  pigeons;  two  or  three  live  Crows  being  pre- 
viously procured  as  decoys,  or  as  they  are  called  Stool-crows. 
Corn  has  been  steeped  in  a  strong  decoction  of  hellebore,  which 
when  eaten  by  them  produces  giddiness,  and  finally,  it  is  said, 
death.  Pieces  of  paper,  formed  into  the  shape  of  a  hollow  cone, 
besmeared  within  with  birdlime,  and  a  grain  or  two  of  corn 
dropped  on  the  bottom,  have  also  been  adopted.  Numbers  of 
these  being  placed  on  the  ground,  where  corn  has  been  plant- 
ed, the  Crows  attempting  to  reach  the  grains  are  instantly  hood- 
winked, fly  directly  upwards  to  a  great  height;  but  generally 
descend  near  the  spot  whence  they  rose,  and  are  easily  taken. 
The  reeds  of  their  roosting  places  are  sometimes  set  on  fire  du- 
ring a  dark  night,  and  the  gunners  having  previously  posted 
themselves  around,  the  Crows  rise  in  great  uproar,  and  amidst 
the  general  consternation,  by  the  light  of  the  burnings,  hundreds 
of  them  are  shot  down. 

Crows  have  been  employed  to  catch  Crows,  by  the  following 

the  village  of  St.  Georges,  in  the  state  of  Delaware,  on  Monday,  the  6th  inst, 
to  receive  pix>posals  of  John  Deputy,  on  a  plan  for  banishing  or  destroying  the 
Crows.  Mr.  Deputy's  plan,  being  heard  and  considered,  was  approved,  and  a 
committee  appointed  to  contract  with  him,  and  to  procure  the  necessary  funds 
to  carry  the  same  into  effect.  Mr.  Deputy  proposes  that  for  five  hundred  dol- 
lars he  will  engage  to  kill  or  banish  the  Crows  from  their  roost  on  the  Pea-Patch, 
and  give  security  to  return  the  money  on  failure. 

"  The  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars  being  thus  required,  the  committee  beg 
leave  to  address  the  farmers  and  others  of  Newcastle  county,  and  elsewhere, 
on  the  subject" 


CROW.  177 

stratagem.  A  live  Crow  is  pinned  by  the  wings  down  to  the 
ground  on  his  back,  by  means  of  two  sharp,  forked  sticks.  Thus 
situated,  his  cries  are  loud  and  incessant,  particularly  if  any  oth- 
er Crows  are  within  view.  These  sweeping  down  about  him, 
are  instantly  grappled  by  the  prostrate  prisoner,  by  the  same 
instinctive  impulse  that  urges  a  drowning  person  to  grasp  at 
every  thing  within  his  reach.  Having  disengaged  the  game 
from  his  clutches,  the  trap  is  again  ready  for  another  experiment; 
and  by  pinning  down  each  captive,  successively,  as  soon  as  ta- 
ken, in  a  short  time  you  will  probably  have  a  large  flock  scream- 
ing above  you,  in  concert  with  the  outrageous  prisoners  below. 
Many  farmers,  however,  are  content  with  hanging  up  the 
skins,  or  dead  carcasses,  of  Crows,  in  their  corn-fields  by  way 
of  terrorem;  others  depend  altogether  on  the  gun,  keeping  one 
of  their  people  supplied  with  ammunition,  and  constantly  on 
the  look-out.  In  hard  winters,  the  Crows  suffer  severely,  so 
that  they  have  been  observed  to  fall  down  in  the  fields,  and  on 
the  roads,  exhausted  with  cold  and  hunger.  In  one  of  these 
winters,  and  during  a  long  continued  deep  snow,  more  than 
six  hundred  Crows  were  shot  on  the  carcass  of  a  dead  horse, 
which  was  placed  at  a  proper  distance  from  the  stable,  from  a 
hole  of  which  the  discharges  were  made.  The  premiums  awar- 
ded for  these,  with  the  price  paid  for  the  quills,  produced  near- 
ly as  much  as  the  original  value  of  the  horse,  besides,  as  the 
man  himself  assured  me,  saving  feathers  sufficient  for  filling  a 
bed. 

The  Crow  is  easily  raised  and  domesticated;  and  it  is  only 
when  thus  rendered  unsuspicious  of,  and  placed  on  terms  of  fa- 
miliarity with,  man,  that  the  true  traits  of  his  genius,  and  na- 
tive disposition,  fully  develop  themselves.  In  this  state  he 
soon  learns  to  distinguish  all  the  members  of  the  family;  flies 
towards  the  gate,  screaming  at  the  approach  of  a  stranger;  learns 
to  open  the  door  by  alighting  on  the  latch ;  attends  regularly  at 
the  stated  hours  of  dinner  and  breakfast;  which  he  appears 
punctually  to  recollect;  is  extremely  noisy  and  loquacious;  im- 
itates the  sound  of  various  words,  pretty  distinctly ;  is  a  great 

VOL.  i. — 3  c 


178  CROW. 

thief  and  hoarder  of  curiosities,  hiding  in  holes,  corners  and 
crevices,  every  loose  article  he  can  carry  off,  particularly  small 
pieces  of  metal,  corn,  bread,  and  food  of  all  kinds;  is  fond  of 
the  society  of  his  master,  and  will  know  him  even  after  a  long 
absence;  of  which  the  following  is  a  remarkable  instance,  and 
may  be  relied  on  as  a  fact.  A  very  worthy  gentleman,  now  liv- 
ing in  the  Gennesee  country,  but  who,  at  the  time  alluded  to, 
resided  on  the  Delaware,  a  few  miles  below  Easton,  had  raised 
a  Crow,  with  whose  tricks  and  society  he  used  frequently  to 
amuse  himself.  This  Crow  lived  long  in  the  family;  but  at 
length  disappeared,  having,  as  was  then  supposed,  been  shot 
by  some  vagrant  gunner,  or  destroyed  by  accident.  About  ele- 
ven months  after  this,  as  the  gentleman,  one  morning,  in  com- 
pany with  several  others,  was  standing  on  the  river  shore,  a 
number  of  Crows  happening  to  pass  by,  one  of  them  left  the 
flock,  and  flying  directly  towards  the  company,  alighted  on  the 
gentleman's  shoulder,  and  began  to  gabble  away  with  great  vo- 
lubility, as  one  long  absent  friend  naturally  enough  does  on 
meeting  with  another.  On  recovering  from  his  surprise,  the 
gentleman  instantly  recognised  his  old  acquaintance;  and  en- 
deavoured by  several  civil  but  sly  manoeuvres  to  lay  hold  of 
him;  but  the  Crow,  not  altogether  relishing  quite  so  much  fa- 
miliarity, having  now  had  a  taste  of  the  sweets  of  liberty,  cau- 
tiously eluded  all  his  attempts;  and  suddenly  glancing  his  eye 
on  his  distant  companions,  mounted  in  the  air  after  them,  soon 
overtook  and  mingled  with  them,  and  was  never  afterward  seen 
to  return. 

The  habits  of  the  Crow,  in  his  native  state,  are  so  generally 
known,  as  to  require  little  further  illustration.  His  watchful- 
ness, and  jealous  sagacity  in  distinguishing  a  person  with  a  gun, 
are  notorious  to  every  one.  In  spring,  when  he  makes  his  ap- 
pearance among  the  groves  and  low  thickets,  the  whole  feath- 
ered songsters  are  instantly  alarmed,  well  knowing  the  depre- 
dations and  murders  he  commits  on  their  nests,  eggs  and  young. 
Few  of  them,  however,  have  the  courage  to  attack  him,  except 
the  King-bird,  who  on  these  occasions  teases  and  pursues  him 


CROW.  179 

from  place  to  place,  diving  on  his  back  while  high  in  air,  and 
harassing  him  for  a  great  distance.  A  single  pair  of  these  noble- 
spirited  birds,  whose  nest  was  built  near,  have  been  known  to 
protect  a  whole  field  of  corn  from  the  depredations  of  the  Crows, 
not  permitting  one  to  approach  it. 

The  Crow  is  eighteen  inches  and  a  half  long,  and  three  feet 
two  inches  in  extent;  the  general  colour  is  a  shining  glossy  blue 
black,  with  purplish  reflections;  the  throat  and  lower  parts  are 
less  glossy;  the  bill  and  legs  a  shining  black,  the  former  two 
inches  and  a  quarter  long,  very  strong,  and  covered  at  the  base 
with  thick  tufts  of  recumbent  feathers;  the  wings,  when  shut, 
reach  within  an  inch  and  a  quarter  of  the  tip  of  the  tail,  which 
is  rounded;  fourth  primary  the  longest;  secondaries  scallopped 
at  the  ends,  and  minutely  pointed,  by  the  prolongation  of  the 
shaft;  iris  dark  hazel. 

The  above  description  agrees  so  nearly  with  the  European 
species  as  to  satisfy  me  that  they  are  the  same;  though  the  voice 
of  ours  is  said  to  be  less  harsh,  not  unlike  the  barking  of  a  small 
spaniel;  the  pointedness  of  the  ends  of  the  tail  feathers,  men- 
tioned by  European  naturalists,  and  occasioned  by  the  extension 
of  the  shafts,  is  rarely  observed  in  the  present  species,  though 
always  very  observable  in  the  secondaries. 

The  female  differs  from  the  male  in  being  more  dull  colour- 
ed, and  rather  deficient  in  the  glossy  and  purplish  tints  and  re- 
flections. The  difference,  however,  is  not  great. 

Besides  grain,  insects  and  carrion,  they  feed  on  frogs,  tad- 
poles, small  fish,  lizards  and  shell-fish;  with  the  latter  they  fre- 
quently mount  to  a  great  height,  dropping  them  on  the  rocks 
below,  and  descending  after  them  to  pick  up  the  contents.  The 
same  habit  is  observable  in  the  Gull,  the  Raven,  and  Sea-side 
Crow.  Many  other  aquatic  insects,  as  well  as  marine  plants, 
furnish  them  with  food;  which  accounts  for  their  being  so  gen- 
erally found,  and  so  numerous,  on  the  sea-shore,  and  along  the 
banks  of  our  large  rivers. 


- 

SPECIES  3.     CORVUS  COLUMBMNUS. 
CLARK'S  CROW. 
[Plate  XX.— Fig.  2.] 

PEALE'S  Museum,  'No.  1371. 

THIS  species  resembles,  a  little,  the  Jackdaw  of  Europe  ( Cor- 
vus  monedula;}  but  is  remarkable  for  its  formidable  claws,  which 
approach  to  those  of  the  Falco  genus;  and  would  seem  to  inti- 
mate, that  its  food  consists  of  living  animals,  for  whose  destruc- 
tion these  weapons  must  be  necessary.  In  conversation  with 
different  individuals  of  Lewis  and  Clark's  party,  I  understood 
that  this  bird  inhabits  the  shores  of  the  Columbia,  and  the  ad- 
jacent country, » in  great  numbers,  frequenting  the  rivers  and 
seashore,  probably  feeding  on  fish;  and  that  it  has  all  the  grega- 
rious and  noisy  habits  of  the  European  species,  several  of  the 
party  supposing  it  to  be  the  same. 

The  figure  in  the  plate  was  drawn  with  particular  care,  after 
a  minute  examination  and  measurement  of  the  only  preserved 
skin  that  was  saved;  and  which  is  now  deposited  in  Peale's 
Museum. 

This  bird  measures  thirteen  inches  in  length;  the  wings,  the 
two  middle  tail  feathers,  and  the  interior  vanes  of  the  next  (ex- 
cept at  the  tip)  are  black,  glossed  with  steel  blue;  all  the  second- 
aries, except  the  three  next  the  body,  are  white  for  an  inch  at 
their  extremities,  forming  a  large  spot  of  white  on  that  part, 
when  the  wing  is  shut;  the  tail  is  rounded;  yet  the  two  middle 
feathers  are  somewhat  shorter  than  those  adjoining;  all  the  rest 
are  pure  white,  except  as  already  described;  the  general  colour 
of  the  head,  neck,  and  body,  above  and  below,  is  a  light  silky 
drab,  darkening  almost  to  a  dove  colour  on  the  breast  and  belly; 


CLARK'S  CROW.  181 

vent  white;  claws  black,  large,  and  hooked,  particularly  the 
middle  and  hind-claw;  legs  also  black;  bill  a  dark  horn  colour; 
iris  of  the  eye  unknown. 

In  the  state  of  Georgia,  and  several  parts  of  the  Mississippi  Ter- 
ritory, I  discovered  a  Crow,*  not  hitherto  taken  notice  of  by  natu- 
ralists, rather  larger  than  the  present  species;  but  much  resembling 
it  in  the  form  and  length  of  its  wings,  in  its  tail,  and  particularly 
its  claws.  This  bird  is  a  constant  attendant  along  the  borders  of 
streams  and  stagnating  ponds,  feeding  on  small  fish  and  lizards, 
which  I  have  many  times  seen  him  seize  as  he  swept  along  the 
surface.  A  well  preserved  specimen  of  this  bird  was  presented 
to  Mr.  Peale,  and  is  now  in  his  Museum.  It  is  highly  probable 
that,  with  these  external  resemblances,  the  habits  of  both  may 
be  nearly  alike. 

*  The  Crow  above  alluded  to  is  the  Fish-Crow.   See  the  next  article. 


SPECIES  4.     CORPUS  OSSIFRAGUS. 

FISH-CROW. 
[Plate  XXX VII. —Fig.  2.] 

PEALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  1369. 

THIS  is  another  roving  inhabitant  of  our  coasts,  ponds,  and 
river  shores;  though  a  much  less  distinguished  one  than  the  pre- 
ceding,* this  being  the  first  time,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  that  he 
has  ever  been  introduced  to  the  notice  of  the  world. 

I  first  met  with  this  species  on  the  coast  of  Georgia,  and  ob- 
served that  they  regularly  retired  to  the  interior  as  evening  ap- 
proached, and  came  down  to  the  shores  of  the  river  Savannah, 
by  the  first  appearance  of  day.  Their  voice  first  attracted  my 
notice,  being  very  different  from  that  of  the  common  Crow, 
more  hoarse  and  guttural,  uttered  as  if  something  stuck  in  their 
throat,  and  varied  into  several  modulations  as  they  flew  along. 
Their  manner  of  flying  was  also  unlike  the  others,  as  they  fre- 
quently sailed  about,  without  flapping  the  wings,  something  in 
the  manner  of  the  Raven;  and  I  soon  perceived  that  their  food, 
and  their  mode  of  procuring  it,  were  also  both  different;  their 
favourite  haunts  being  about  the  banks  of  the  river,  along  which 
they  usually  sailed,  dexterously  snatching  up,  with  their  claws, 
dead  fish,  or  other  garbage,  that  floated  on  the  surface.  At  the 
country  seat  of  Stephen  Elliot,  Esq.  near  the  Ogechee  river,  I 
took  notice  of  these  Crows  frequently  perching  on  the  backs  of 
the  cattle,  like  the  Magpie  and  Jackdaw  of  Britain;  but  never 
mingling  with  the  common  Crows;  and  differing  from  them  in 
this  particular,  that  the  latter  generally  retire  to  the  shore,  the 

*  The  Fish-Hawk,  figured  in  the  same  plate,  and  which  immediately  pre- 
cedes the  Fish-Crow,  in  the  text  of  the  original  edition. 


FISH-CROW.  183 

reeds  and  marshes,  to  roost;  while  the  Fish-Crow,  always  a  little 
before  sunset,  seeks  the  interior  high  woods  to  repose  in. 

In  my  journey  through  the  Mississippi  Territory,  last  year, 
I  resided  for  some  time  at  the  seat  of  my  hospitable  friend,  Dr. 
Samuel  Brown,  a  few  miles  from  Fort  Adams,  on  the  Missis- 
sippi. In  my  various  excursions  there  among  the  lofty  fragrance- 
breathing  magnolia  woods,  and  magnificent  scenery,  that  adorn 
the  luxuriant  face  of  nature  in  those  southern  regions,  this  species 
of  Crow  frequently  made  its  appearance,  distinguished  by  the 
same  voice  and  habits  it  had  in  Georgia,  There  is  in  many  of 
the  ponds  there,  a  singular  kind  of  lizard,  that  swims  about  with 
its  head  above  the  surface,  making  a  loud  sound,  not  unlike  the 
harsh  jarring  of  a  door.  These  the  Crow  now  before  us  would 
frequently  seize  with  his  claws,  as  he  flew  along  the  surface,  and 
retire  to  the  summit  of  a  dead  tree  to  enjoy  his  repast.  Here  I 
also  observed  him  a  pretty  constant  attendant  at  the  pens,  where 
the  cows  were  usually  milked,  and  much  less  shy,  less  suspicious 
and  more  solitary,  than  the  common  Crow.  In  the  county  of 
Cape  May,  New  Jersey,  I  again  met  with  these  Crows,  partic- 
ularly along  Egg-Harbour  river;  and  latterly  on  the  Schuylkill 
and  Delaware,  near  Philadelphia,  during  the  season  of  shad  and 
herring  fishing,  viz.  from  the  middle  of  March  till  the  begin- 
ning of  June.  A  small  party  of  these  Crows,  during  this  period, 
regularly  passed  Bartram's  gardens,  to  the  high  woods,  to  roost, 
every  evening  a  little  before  sunset,  and  as  regularly  returned 
at  or  before  sunrise  every  morning,  directing  their  course  to- 
wards the  river.  The  fishermen  along  these  rivers  also  inform 
me,  that  they  have  particularly  remarked  this  Crow,  by  his 
croaking  voice,  and  his  fondness  for  fish;  almost  always  hover- 
ing about  their  fishing  places,  to  glean  up  the  refuse.  Of  their 
manner  of  breeding  I  can  only  say,  that  they  separate  into  pairs, 
and  build  in  tall  trees,  near  the  sea  or  river  shore;  one  of  their 
nests  having  been  built  this  season  in  a  piece  of  tall  woods,  near 
Mr.  Beasley's,  at  Great  Egg-Harbour.  The  male  of  this  nest 
furnished  me  with  the  figure  in  the  plate,  which  was  drawn  of 
full  size,  and  afterwards  reduced  to  one-third  the  size  of  life,  to 


184  FISH-CROW. 

correspond  with  the  rest  of  the  figures  in  the  same  plate.  From 
the  circumstance  of  six  or  seven  being  usually  seen  here  together, 
in  the  month  of  July,  it  is  probable  that  they  have  at  least  four 
or  five  young  at  a  time. 

I  can  find  no  description  of  this  species  by  any  former  writer. 
Mr.  Bartram  mentions  a  bird  of  this  tribe,  which  he  calls  the 
Great  Sea-side  Crow;  but  the  present  species  is  considerably 
inferior  in  size  to  the  common  Crow;  and  having  myself  seen 
and  examined  it  in  so  many,  and  remotely  situated,  parts  of  the 
country,  and  found  it  in  all  these  places  alike,  I  have  no  hesita- 
tion in  pronouncing  it  to  be  a  new  and  hitherto  undescribed  spe- 
cies. 

The  Fish-Crow  is  sixteen  inches  long,  and  thirty-three  in 
extent;  black  all  over,  with  reflections  of  steel-blue  and  purple; 
the  chin  is  bare  of  feathers  around  the  base  of  the  lower  mandi- 
ble;* upper  mandible  notched  near  the  tip,  the  edges  of  both 
turned  inwards  about  the  middle;  eye  very  small,  placed  near 
the  corner  of  the  mouth,  and  of  a  dark  hazel  colour;  recumbent 
hairs  or  bristles  large  and  long;  ear  feathers  prominent;  first 
primary  little  more  than  half  the  length  of  the  second,  fourth 
the  longest;  wings,  when  shut,  reach  within  two  inches  of  the 
tip  of  the  tail;  tail  rounded,  and  seven  inches  long  from  its  in- 
sertion;  thighs  very  long;  legs  stout;  claws  sharp,  long  and  hook- 
ed, hind  one  the  largest,  all  jet  black.  Male  and  female  much 
alike. 

I  would  beg  leave  to  recommend  to  the  watchful  farmers  of 
the  United  States,  that  in  their  honest  indignation  against  the 
common  Crow,  they  would  spare  the  present  species,  and  not 
shower  destruction,  indiscriminately,  on  their  black  friends  and 
enemies;  at  least  on  those  who  sometimes  plunder  them,  and 
those  who  never  molest  or  injure  their  property. 

*  This  must  have  been  an  accidental  circumstance,  as  I  have  seen  speci- 
mens, the  chin  of  which  was  entirely  covered.  In  the  month  of  April,  I  shot  a 
fine  male,  on  the  Delaware,  seventeen  inches  long,  thirty-three  broad.  The  chin 
covered.  This  species  is  greatly  infested  with  lice,  insomuch  that  when  one 
handles  them,  one  gets  covered  with  these  disagreeable  vermin. — G.  Ore/. 


..-  . 

' 
SPECIES  5.     CORVUS  PICA. 


MAGPIE. 


Tlate  XXXV.— Fig.  2.] 

&      j 

Jlrct.  Zool.  JVo.  136.— LATH.  Syn.  i,  392.— BUFF,  in,  85.  PL  Enl 
488.— PEALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  1333.* 

THIS  bird  is  much  better  known  in  Europe  than  in  this  coun- 
try, where  it  has  not  been  long  discovered;  although  it  is  now 
found  to  inhabit  a  wide  extent  of  territory,  and  in  great  num- 
bers. The  drawing  was  taken  from  a  very  beautiful  specimen, 
sent  from  the  Mandan  nation,  on  the  Missouri,  to  Mr.  Jefferson, 
and  by  that  gentleman  to  Mr.  Peale  of  this  city,  in  whose  Mu- 
seum it  lived  for  several  months,  and  where  I  had  an  opportu- 
nity of  examining  it.  On  carefully  comparing  it  with  the  Eu- 
ropean Magpie  in  the  same  collection,  no  material  difference 
could  be  perceived.  The  figure  in  the  plate  is  reduced  to  ex- 
actly half  the  size  of  life. 

This  bird  unites  in  its  character  courage  and  cunning,  turbu- 
lency  and  rapacity.  Not  inelegantly  formed,  and  distinguished 
by  gay  as  well  as  splendid  plumage,  he  has  long  been  noted  in 
those  countries  where  he  commonly  resides,  and  his  habits  and 
manners  are  there  familiarly  known.  He  is  particularly  perni- 
cious to  plantations  of  young  oaks,  tearing  up  the  acorns;  and 
also  to  birds,  destroying  great  numbers  of  their  eggs  and  young, 
even  young  chickens,  partridges,  grous  and  pheasants.  It  is 
perhaps  on  this  last  account  that  the  whole  vengeance  of  the 
game  laws  has  lately  been  let  loose  upon  him,  in  some  parts  of 
Britain;  as  appears  by  accounts  from  that  quarter,  where  pre- 

*  We  add  the  following  synonymes: — Corvus  pica,  LINN.  Syst.  ed.  10,  i,  p. 
106.—  GMEL.  Syst.  i,  p.  373.— LATH.  Ind.  Orn.  p.  162.— La  Pie,  BHISS.  Orn, 
vvl.  IT,  p.  35.— TEMM.  Man.  d'Qrn,  i,  p.  113. 
VOL.   I. 3  C 


Ig6  MAGPIE. 

miums,  it  is  said,  are  offered  for  his  head,  as  an  arch  poacher; 
and  penalties  inflicted  on  all  those  who  permit  him  to  breed  on 
their  premises.  Under  the  lash  of  such  rigorous  persecution,  a 
few  years  will  probably  exterminate  the  whole  tribe  from  the 
island.  He  is  also  destructive  to  gardens  and  orchards;  is  noisy 
and  restless,  almost  constantly  flying  from  place  to  place;  alights 
on  the  backs  of  the  cattle,  to  rid  them  of  the  larvae  that  fester 
in  the  skin;  is  content  with  carrion  when  nothing  better  offers; 
eats  various  kinds  of  vegetables,  and  devours  greedily  grain, 
worms,  and  insects  of  almost  every  description.  When  domes- 
ticated, he  is  easily  taught  to  imitate  the  human  voice,  and  to 
articulate  words  pretty  distinctly;  has  all  the  pilfering  habits  of 
his  tribe,  filling  every  chink,  nook  and  crevice,  with  whatever 
he  can  carry  off;  is  subject  to  the  epilepsy,  or  some  similar  dis- 
order; and  is,  on  the  whole,  a  crafty,  restless,  and  noisy  bird. 

He  generally  selects  a  tall  tree  adjoining  the  farm-house,  for 
his  nest,  which  is  placed  among  the  highest  branches;  this  is 
large,  composed  outwardly  of  sticks,  roots,  turf  and  dry  weeds, 
and  well  lined  with  wool,  cow  hair  and  feathers;  the  whole  is 
surrounded,  roofed  and  barricadoed,  with  thorns,  leaving  only 
a  narrow  entrance.  The  eggs  are  usually  five,  of  a  greenish 
colour,  marked  with  numerous  black  or  dusky  spots.  In  the 
northern  parts  of  Europe,  he  migrates  at  the  commencement  of 
winter. 

In  this  country  the  Magpie  was  first  taken  notice  of  at  the 
factories  or  trading  houses,  on  Hudson's  Bay,  where  the  Indians 
used  sometimes  to  bring  it  in,  and  gave  it  the  name  of  Heart- 
bird^  for  what  reason  is  uncertain.  It  appears,  however,  to  be 
rather  rare  in  that  quarter.  These  circumstances  are  taken  notice 
of  by  Mr.  Pennant  and  other  British  naturalists. 

In  1804,  the  exploring  party  under  the  command  of  Lewis 
and  Clark,  on  their  route  to  the  Pacific  ocean  across  the  conti- 
nent, first  met  with  the  Magpie  somewhere  near  the  great  bend 
of  the  Missouri,  and  found  that  the  number  of  these  birds  in- 
creased as  they  advanced.  Here  also  the  Blue  Jay  disappeared; 
as  if  the  territorial  boundaries  and  jurisdiction  of  these  two  noisy 


MAGPIE.  187 

and  voracious  families  of  the  same  tribe,  had  been  mutually 
agreed  on,  and  distinctly  settled.  But  the  Magpie  was  found 
to  be  far  more  daring  than  the  Jay,  dashing  into  their  very 
tents,  and  carrying  off  the  meat  from  the  dishes.  One  of  the 
hunters,  who  accompanied  the  expedition,  informed  me,  that 
they  frequently  attended  him  while  he  was  engaged  in  skinning 
and  cleaning  the  carcass  of  the  deer,  bear  or  buffaloe  he  had 
killed,  often  seizing  the  meat  that  hung  within  a  foot  or  two  of 
his  head.  On  the  shores  of  the  Kooskoos-ke  river,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  great  range  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  they  were  found 
to  be  equally  numerous. 

It  is  highly  probable  that  those  vast  plains  or  prairies,  abound- 
ing with  game  and  cattle,  frequently  killed  for  the  mere  hides, 
tallow,  or  even  marrow-bones,  may  be  one  great  inducement 
for  the  residency  of  these  birds,  so  fond  of  flesh  and  carrion. 
Even  the  rigorous  severity  of  winter  in  the  high  regions  along 
the  head  waters  of  Rio  du  Nord,  the  Arkansaw  and  Red  river, 
seems  insufficient  to  force  them  from  those  favourite  haunts; 
though  it  appears  to  increase  their  natural  voracity  to  a  very 
uncommon  degree.  Pike  relates,  that,  in  the  month  of  Decem- 
ber, in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  North  mountain,  N.  lat.  41°, 
W.  long.  34°,  Reaumur's  thermometer  standing  at  17°  below  0, 
these  birds  were  seen  in  great  numbers.  "Our  horses,"  says 
he,  "  were  obliged  to  scrape  the  snow  away  to  obtain  their  mi- 
"serable  pittance;  and  to  increase  their  misfortunes,  the  poor 
"  animals  were  attacked  by  the  Magpies,  who,  attracted  by  the 
( 'scent  of  their  sore  backs,  alighted  on  them,  and  in  defiance 
"  of  their  wincing  and  kicking,  picked  many  places  quite  raw. 
"  The  difficulty  of  procuring  food  rendering  those  birds  so  bold 
"  as  to  light  on  our  men's  arms,  and  eat  meat  out  of  their  hands.  "* 

The  Magpie  is  eighteen  inches  in  length;  the  head,  neck, 
upper  part  of  the  breast  and  back,  are  a  deep  velvetty  black; 
primaries  brownish  black,  streaked  along  their  inner  vanes  with 
white ;  secondaries  rich  purplish  blue;  greater  coverts  green  blue; 

*  Pike's  Journal,  p.  170. 


188  MAGPIE. 

scapulars,  lower  part  of  the  breast  and  belly,  white;  thighs  and 
vent  black;  tail  long,  the  two  exterior  feathers  scarcely  half  the 
length  of  the  longest,  the  others  increasing  to  the  two  middle 
ones,  which  taper  towards  their  extremities.  The  colour  of  this 
part  of  the  plumage  is  very  splendid,  being  glossy  green,  dashed 
with  blue  and  bright  purple;  this  last  colour  bounds  the  green; 
nostrils  covered  with  a  thick  tuft  of  recumbent  hairs,  as  are  also 
the  sides  of  the  mouth  j  bill,  legs  and  feet,  glossy  black.  The 
female  differs  only  in  the  less  brilliancy  of  her  plumage. 


SPECIES  6.     CORPUS  CRISTATUS. 

BLUE  JAY. 
[Plate!.— Fig   1.] 

LINN.  Syst.  i,  p.  106,  JVo.  8,  ed.  10. — Garrulus  canadensis  coeru- 
leus,  BRISS.  n,  p.  55. — Pica  glandaria  cristata,  KLEIN,  p.  61, 
3. — Le  Geai  bleu  de  I'Jlmerique  Septentrionale,  BUFF,  in,  p. 
120.  PL  EnL  529.— JW«e  Jay,  CATESB.  Car.  i,  15.— -Bow.  239. 
—Arct.  Zool.  n,  JVo.  138.— LATH. 8yn.  i,p.  386, 20.— BARTRAM, 
;;.  290. — PEALE'S  Museum,  No.  1290. 

THIS  elegant  bird,  which,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  is  peculiar 
to  North  America,  is  distinguished  as  a  kind  of  beau  among  the 
feathered  tenants  of  our  woods,  by  the  brilliancy  of  his  dress; 
and  like  most  other  coxcombs,  makes  himself  still  more  con- 
spicuous by  his  loquacity,  and  the  oddness  of  his  tones  and 
gestures.  The  Jay  measures  eleven  inches  in  length;  the  head 
is  ornamented  with  a  crest  of  light  blue  or  purple  feathers,  which 
he  can  elevate  or  depress  at  pleasure;  a  narrow  line  of  black 
runs  along  the  frontlet,  rising  on  each  side  higher  than  the  eye, 
but  not  passing  over  it,  as  Catesby  has  represented,  and  as  Pen- 
nant and  many  others  have  described  it;  back  and  upper  part  of 
the  neck  a  fine  light  purple,  in  which  the  blue  predominates;  a 
collar  of  black  proceeding  from  the  hind-head,  passes  with  a 
graceful  curve  down  each  side  of  the  neck,  to  the  upper  part  of 
the  breast,  where  it  forms  a  crescent;  chin,  cheeks,  throat  and 
belly,  white,  the  three  former  slightly  tinged  with  blue;  greater 
wing  coverts  a  rich  blue;  exterior  sides  of  the  primaries  light 
blue,  those  of  the  secondaries  a  deep  purple,  except  the  three 
feathers  next  the  body,  which  are  of  a  splendid  light  blue;  all 
these,  except  the  primaries,  are  beautifully  barred  with  cres- 


190  BLUE  JAY. 

cents  of  black,  and  tipt  with  white;  the  interior  sides  of  the 
wing  feathers  are  dusky  black;  tail  long  and  cuneiform,  com- 
posed of  twelve  feathers  of  a  glossy  light  blue,  marked  at  half 
inches  with  transverse  curves  of  black,  each  feather  being  tipt 
with  white,  except  the  two  middle  ones,  which  deepen  into  a 
dark  purple  at  the  extremities.  Breast  and  sides  under  the  wings 
a  dirty  white,  faintly  stained  with  purple;  inside  of  the  mouth, 
the  tongue,  bill,  legs,  and  claws,  black;  iris  of  the  eye  hazel. 

The  Blue  Jay  is  an  almost  universal  inhabitant  of  the  woods, 
frequenting  the  thickest  settlements,  as  well  as  the  deepest  re- 
cesses of  the  forest,  where  his  squalling  voice  often  alarms  the 
deer,  to  the  disappointment  and  mortification  of  the  hunter;  one 
of  whom  informed  me,  that  he  made  it  a  point,  in  summer,  to 
kill  every  Jay  he  could  meet  with.  In  the  charming  season  of 
spring,  when  every  thicket  pours  forth  harmony,  the  part  per- 
formed by  the  Jay  always  catches  the  ear.  He  appears  to  be, 
among  his  fellow-musicians  what  the  trumpeter  is  in  a  band, 
some  of  his  notes  having  no  distant  resemblance  to  the  tones  of 
that  instrument.  These  he  has  the  faculty  of  changing  through 
a  great  variety  of  modulations,  according  to  the  particular  hu- 
mour he  happens  to  be  in.  When  disposed  for  ridicule,  there  is 
scarce  a  bird  whose  peculiarities  of  song  he  cannot  tune  his  notes 
to.  When  engaged  in  the  blandishments  of  love,  they  resemble 
the  soft  chatterings  of  a  duck;  and  while  he  nestles  among  the 
thick  branches  of  the  cedar,  are  scarce  heard  at  a  few  paces  dis- 
tance; but  no  sooner  does  he  discover  your  approach,  than  he 
sets  up  a  sudden  and  vehement  outcry,  flying  off,  and  screaming 
with  all  his  might,  as  if  he  called  the  whole  feathered  tribes  of 
the  neighbourhood  to  witness  some  outrageous  usage  he  had  re- 
ceived. When  he  hops  undisturbed  among  the  high  branches  of 
the  oak  and  hickory,  they  become  soft  and  musical;  and  his  calls 
of  the  female,  a  stranger  would  readily  mistake  for  the  repeated 
creakings  of  an  ungreased  wheelbarrow.  All  these  he  accompa- 
nies with  various  nods,  jerks,  and  other  gesticulations,  for  which 
the  whole  tribe  of  Jays  are  so  remarkable,  that,  with  some  other 
peculiarities,  they  might  have  very  well  justified  the  great  Swe- 


BLUE  JAY.  191 

dish  naturalist  in  forming  them  into  a  separate  genus  by  them- 
selves. 

The  Blue  Jay  builds  a  large  nest,  frequently  in  the  cedar, 
sometimes  in  an  apple-tree,  lines  it  with  dry  fibrous  roots,  and 
lays  five  eggs,  of  a  dull  olive,  spotted  with  brown.  The  male 
is  particularly  careful  of  not  being  heard  near  the  place,  making 
his  visits  as  silently  and  secretly  as  possible.  His  favourite  food 
is  chesnuts,  acorns,  and  Indian  corn.  He  occasionally  feeds  on 
bugs  and  caterpillars,  and  sometimes  pays  a  plundering  visit  to 
the  orchard,  cherry-rows,  and  potatoe-patch ;  and  has  been 
known,  in  times  of  scarcity,  to  venture  into  the  barn,  through 
openings  between  the  weather-boards.  In  these  cases  he  is  ex- 
tremely active  and  silent,  and  if  surprised  in  the  fact  makes  his 
escape  with  precipitation,  but  without  noise,  as  if  conscious  of 
his  criminality. 

Of  all  birds  he  is  the  most  bitter  enemy  to  the  Owl.  No  sooner 
has  he  discovered  the  retreat  of  one  of  these,  than  he  summons 
the  whole  feathered  fraternity  to  his  assistance,  who  surround 
the  glimmering  solitaire,  and  attack  him  from  all  sides,  raising 
such  a  shout,  as  may  be  heard,  in  a  still  day,  more  than  half  a 
mile  off.  When  in  my  hunting  excursions  I  have  passed  near  this 
scene  of  tumult,  I  have  imagined  to  myself  that  I  heard  the 
insulting  party  venting  their  respective  charges  with  all  the 
virulency  of  a  Billingsgate  mob;  the  owl,  meanwhile,  returning 
every  compliment  with  a  broad  goggling  stare.  The  war  becomes 
louder  and  louder,  and  the  owl,  at  length  forced  to  betake  him- 
self to  flight,  is  followed  by  the  whole  train  of  his  persecutors, 
until  driven  beyond  the  boundaries  of  their  jurisdiction. 

But  the  Blue  Jay  himself  is  not  guiltless  of  similar  depreda- 
tions with  the  owl,  and  becomes,  in  his  turn,  the  very  tyrant 
he  detested,  when  he  sneaks  through  the  woods,  as  he  frequently 
does,  and  among  the  thickets  and  hedge-rows,  plundering  every 
nest  he  can  find  of  its  eggs,  tearing  up  the  callow  young  by 
piecemeal,  and  spreading  alarm  and  sorrow  around  him.  The 
cries  of  the  distressed  parents  soon  bring  together  a  number  of 
interested  spectators,  (for  birds,  in  such  circumstances,  seem 


192  BLUE  JAY. 

truly  to  sympathize  with  each  other,)  and  he  is  sometimes  at- 
tacked with  such  spirit,  as  to  be  under  the  necessity  of  making 
a  speedy  retreat. 

He  will  sometimes  assault  small  birds,  with  the  intention  of 
killing  and  devouring  them;  an  instance  of  which  I  myself  once 
witnessed,  over  a  piece  of  woods,  near  the  borders  of  Schuyl- 
kill ;  where  I  saw  him  engaged  for  more  than  five  minutes  pur- 
suing what  I  took  to  be  a  species  of  Motacilla,  wheeling,  dart- 
ing, and  doubling  in  the  air,  and  at  last,  to  my  great  satisfaction, 
got  disappointed,  by  the  escape  of  his  intended  prey.  In  times 
of  great  extremity,  when  his  hoard  or  magazine  is  frozen  up, 
buried  in  snow,  or  perhaps  exhausted,  he  becomes  very  vora- 
cious, and  will  make  a  meal  of  whatever  carrion  or  other  ani- 
mal substance  comes  in  the  way;  and  has  been  found  regaling 
himself  on  the  bowels  of  a  Robin,  in  less  than  five  minutes  after 
it  was  shot. 

There  are,  however,  individual  exceptions  to  this  general 
character  for  plunder  and  outrage,  a  proneness  for  which  is 
probably  often  occasioned  by  the  wants  and  irritations  of  neces- 
sity. A  Blue  Jay,  which  I  have  kept  for  some  time,  and  with 
whom  I  am  on  terms  of  familiarity,  is  in  reality  a  very  notable 
example  of  mildness  of  disposition,  and  sociability  of  manners. 
An  accident  in  the  woods  first  put  me  in  possession  of  this  bird, 
while  in  full  plumage,  and  in  high  health  and  spirits;  I  carried 
him  home  with  me,  and  put  him  into  a  cage  already  occupied 
by  a  Gold-winged  Woodpecker,  where  he  was  saluted  with  such 
rudeness,  and  received  such  a  drubbing  from  the  lord  of  the 
manor,  for  entering  his  premises,  that,  to  save  his  life,  I  was 
obliged  to  take  him  out  again.  I  then  put  him  into  another 
cage,  where  the  only  tenant  was  a  female  Orchard  Oriole.  She 
also  put  on  airs  of  alarm,  as  if  she  considered  herself  endangered 
and  insulted  by  the  intrusion;  the  Jay,  meanwhile,  sat  mute  and 
motionless  on  the  bottom  of  the  cage,  either  dubious  of  his  own 
situation,  or  willing  to  allow  time  for  the  fears  of  his  neighbour 
to  subside.  Accordingly,  in  a  few  minutes,  after  displaying 
various  threatening  gestures,  (like  some  of  those  Indians  we 


BLUE  JAY.  193 

read  of,  in  their  first  interviews  with  the  whites,)  she  began  to 
make  her  approaches,  but  with  great  circumspection,  and  readi- 
ness for  retreat.     Seeing,  however,  the  Jay  begin  to  pick  up 
some  crumbs  of  broken  chesnuts,  in  a  humble  and  peaceable 
way,  she  also  descended,  and  began  to  do  the  same;  but  at  the 
slightest  motion  of  her  new  guest,  wheeled  round  and  put  her- 
self on  the  defensive.     All  this  ceremonious  jealousy  vanished 
before  evening,  and  they  now  roost  together,  feed,  and  play  to- 
gether, in  perfect  harmony  and  good  humour.    When  the  Jay 
goes  to  drink,  his  messmate  very  impudently  jumps  into  the 
water  to  wash  herself,  throwing  the  water  in  showers  over  her 
companion,  who  bears  it  all  patiently;  venturing  now  and  then 
to  take  a  sip  between  every  splash,  without  betraying  the  small- 
est token  of  irritation.  On  the  contrary,  he  seems  to  take  plea- 
sure in  his  little  fellow-prisoner,  allowing  her  to  pick  (which 
she  does  very  gently)  about  his  whiskers,  and  to  clean  his  claws 
from  the  minute  fragments  of  chesnuts  which  happen  to  adhere 
to  them.   This  attachment  on  the  one  part,  and  mild  condescen- 
sion on  the  other,  may,  perhaps,  be  partly  the  effect  of  mutual 
misfortunes,  which  are  found  not  only  to  knit  mankind,  but 
many  species  of  inferior  animals,  more  closely  together;  and 
shows  that  the  disposition  of  the  Blue  Jay  may  be  humanized, 
and  rendered  susceptible  of  affectionate  impressions,  even  for 
those  birds,  which,  in  a  state  of  nature,  he  would  have  no  hesi- 
tation in  making  a  meal  of. 

He  is  not  only  bold  and  vociferous,  but  possesses  a  considera- 
ble talent  for  mimicry,  and  seems  to  enjoy  great  satisfaction  in 
mocking  and  teasing  other  birds,  particularly  the  little  hawk, 
(F.  sparverius,)  imitating  his  cry  wherever  he  sees  him,  and 
squealing  out  as  if  caught;  this  soon  brings  a  number  of  his  own 
tribe  around  him,  who  all  join  in  the  frolic,  darting  about  the 
hawk,  and  feigning  the  cries  of  a  bird  sorely  wounded,  and  al- 
ready under  the  clutches  of  its  devourer;  while  others  lie  con- 
cealed in  bushes,  ready  to  second  their  associates  in  the  attack. 
But  this  ludicrous  farce  often  terminates  tragically.  The  hawk 

singling  out  one  of  the  most  insolent  and  provoking,  sweeps 
VOL.  i. — 3  D 


194  BLUE  JAY. 

upon  him  in  an  unguarded  moment,  and  offers  him  up  a  sacri- 
fice to  his  hunger  and  resentment.  In  an  instant  the  tune  is 
changed;  all  their  buffoonery  vanishes,  and  loud  and  incessant 
screams  proclaim  their  disaster. 

Wherever  the  Jay  has  had  the  advantage  of  education  from 
man,  he  has  not  only  shown  himself  an  apt  scholar,  but  his  sua- 
vity of  manners  seems  equalled  only  by  his  art  and  contrivances; 
though  it  must  be  confessed  that  his  itch  for  thieving  keeps  pace 
with  all  his  other  acquirements.     Dr.  Mease,  on  the  authority 
of  Colonel  Postell,  of  South  Carolina,  informs  me,  that  a  Blue 
Jay,  which  was  brought  up  in  the  family  of  the  latter  gentle- 
man, had  all  the  tricks  and  loquacity  of  a  parrot;  pilfered  every 
thing  he  could  conveniently  carry  off,  and  hid  them  in  holes 
and  crevices;  answered  to  his  name  with  great  sociability, 
when  called  on;  could  articulate  a  number  of  words  pretty  dis- 
tinctly; and  when  he  heard  any  uncommon  noise  or  loud  talking, 
seemed  impatient  to  contribute  his  share  to  the  general  festivity, 
(as  he  probably  thought  it)  by  a  display  of  all  the  oratorial 
powers  he  was  possessed  of. 

Mr.  Bartram  relates  an  instance  of  the  Jay's  sagacity,  worthy 
of  remark.  "  Having  caught  a  Jay  in  the  winter  season,"  says 
he,  "I  turned  him  loose  in  the  green-house,  and  fed  him  with 
"corn,  (zea,  maize,)  the  heart  of  which  they  are  very  fond  of. 
6 '  This  grain  being  ripe  and  hard,  the  bird  at  first  found  a  diffi- 
"culty  in  breaking  it,  as  it  would  start  from  his  bill  when  he 
"struck  it.  After  looking  about,  and  as  if  considering  for  a 
"moment,  he  picked  up  his  grain,  carried  and  placed  it  close 
"  up  in  a  corner  on  the  shelf,  between  the  wall  and  a  plant-box, 
"  where  being  confined  on  three  sides  he  soon  effected  his  pur- 
"pose,  and  continued  afterwards  to  make  use  of  this  same 
"  practical  expedient.  The  Jay,"  continues  this  judicious  ob- 
server, "is  one  of  the  most  useful  agents  in  the  economy  of 
"  nature,  for  disseminating  forest  trees,  and  other  ruciferous  and 
"  hard-seeded  vegetables  on  which  they  feed.  Their  chief  em- 
ployment during  the  autumnal  season  is  foraging  to  supply 
"  their  winter  stores.  In  performing  this  necessary  duty,  they 


BLUE  JAY.  195 

"  drop  abundance  of  seed  in  their  flight  over  fields,  hedges,  and 
"  by-fences,  where  they  alight  to  deposit  them  in  the  post  holes, 
"  &c.  It  is  remarkable  what  numbers  of  young  trees  rise  up  in 
"  fields  and  pastures  after  a  wet  winter  and  spring.  These  birds 
"  alone  are  capable,  in  a  few  years  time,  to  replant  all  the  cleared 
"lands."* 

The  Blue  Jays  seldom  associate  in  any  considerable  numbers, 
except  in  the  months  of  September  and  October,  when  they 
hover  about  in  scattered  parties  of  from  forty  to  fifty,  visiting  the 
oaks,  in  search  of  their  favourite  acorns.  At  this  season  they 
are  less  shy  than  usual;  and  keep  chattering  to  each  other  in  a 
variety  of  strange  and  querulous  notes.  I  have  counted  fifty -three, 
but  never  more,  at  one  time;  and  these  generally  following  each 
other  in  straggling  irregularity  from  one  range  of  woods  to 
another.  Yet  we  are  told  by  the  learned  Dr.  Latham,  and  his 
statement  has  been  copied  into  many  respectable  European 
publications,  that  the  Blue  Jays  of  North  America  "  often  unite 
"into  flocks  of  twenty  thousand  at  least!  which  alighting  on  a 
field  of  ten  or  twelve  acres,  soon  lay  waste  the  whole,  "t  If  this 
were  really  so,  these  birds  would  justly  deserve  the  character  he 
gives  them,  of  being  the  most  destructive  species  in  America.  But 
I  will  venture  the  assertion,  that  the  tribe  Oriolus  phceniceus, 
or  red-winged  Blackbirds,  in  the  environs  of  the  river  Delaware 
alone,  devour  and  destroy  more  Indian  corn  than  the  whole 
Blue  Jays  of  North  America.  As  to  their  assembling  in  such 
immense  multitudes,  it  may  be  sufficient  to  observe,  that  a  flock 
of  Blue  Jays  of  twenty  thousand,  would  be  as  extraordinary  an 
appearance  in  America,  as  the  same  number  of  Magpies  or  Cuc- 
koos would  be  in  Britain. 

It  has  been  frequently  said,  that  numbers  of  birds  are  com- 
mon to  the  United  States  and  Europe;  at  present,  however,  I 
am  not  certain  of  many.  Comparing  the  best  descriptions  and 
delineations  of  the  European  ones  with  those  of  our  native 

*  Letter  of  Mr.  William  Bartram  to  the  Author. 

f  Synopsis  of  Birds,  vol.  i,  p.  387.  See  also  Encyclopedia  Britannica,  art. 
Corvus. 


196  BLUE  JAY. 

birds,  said  to  be  of  the  same  species,  either  the  former  are  very 
erroneous,  or  the  difference  of  plumage  and  habits  in  the  latter 
justify  us  in  considering  a  great  proportion  of  them  to  be  really 
distinct  species.  Be  this  however  as  it  may,  the  Blue  Jay  ap- 
pears to  belong  exclusively  to  North  America.  I  cannot  find 
it  mentioned  by  any  writer  or  traveller  among  the  birds  of 
Guiana,  Brazil,  or  any  other  part  of  South  America.  It  is 
equally  unknown  in  Africa.  In  Europe,  and  even  in  the  east- 
ern parts  of  Asia,  it  is  never  seen  in  its  wild  state.  To  ascer- 
tain the  exact  limits  of  its  native  regions  would  be  difficult. 
These,  it  is  highly  probable,  will  be  found  to  be  bounded  by 
the  extremities  of  the  temperate  zone.  Dr.  Latham  has  indeed 
asserted,  that  the  Blue  Jay  of  America  is  not  found  farther  north 
than  the  town  of  Albany.  *  This,  however,  is  a  mistake.  They 
are  common  in  the  eastern  states,  and  are  mentioned  by  Dr. 
Belknap  in  his  enumeration  of  the  birds  of  New  Hampshire.! 
They  are  also  natives  of  Newfoundland.  I  myself  have  seen 
them  in  Upper  Canada.  Blue  Jays  and  Yellow-birds  were  found 
by  Mr.  M'Kenzie,  when  on  his  journey  across  the  continent, 
at  the  head  waters  of  the  Unjigah,  or  Peace  river,  in  N.  lat. 
54°,  W.  long.  121°,  on  the  west  side  of  the  great  range  of  Stony 
mountains.  §  Steller,  who  in  1741  accompanied  captain  Beh- 
ring  in  his  expedition  for  the  discovery  of  the  north-west  coast 
of  America,  and  who  wrote  the  journal  of  the  voyage,  relates, 
that  he  himself  went  on  shore  near  cape  St.  Elias,  in  N.  lat. 
58°  28'.  W.  long.  141°  46',  according  to  his  estimation,  where 
he  observed  several  species  of  birds  not  known  in  Siberia; 
and  one,  in  particular,  described  by  Catesby  under  the  name 
of  the  Blue  Jay*  ||  Mr.  William  Bartram  informs  me,  that  they 
are  numerous  in  the  peninsula  of  Florida,  and  that  he  also  found 
them  at  Natchez,  on  the  Mississippi.  Captains  Lewis  and  Clark, 
and  their  intrepid  companions,  in  their  memorable  expedition 
across  the  continent  of  North  America  to  the  Pacific  ocean, 

*  Synopsis,  vol.  i,  p.  387.  t  Hist.  N.  Hamp.  vol.  iii,  p.  163. 

§  Voyage  from  Montreal,  &c.  p.  216,  quarto,  Lond.  1801. 
j|  See  Steller's  Journal  apud  Pallas. 


BLUE  JAY.  197 

continued  to  see  Blue  Jays  for  six  hundred  miles  up  the  Mis- 
souri.* From  these  accounts  it  follows,  that  this  species  occupies, 
generally  or  partially,  an  extent  of  country  stretching  upwards 
of  seventy  degrees  from  east  to  west,  and  more  than  thirty 
degrees  from  north  to  south;  though,  from  local  circumstances, 
there  may  be  intermediate  tracts  in  this  immense  range,  which 
they  seldom  visit. 

*  This  fact  I  had  from  Captain  Lewis. 


SPECIES  7.     CORPUS  CANADENSIS. 

CANADA  JAY. 
[Plate  XXL— Fig.  1.] 

LINN.  Syst.  158. — Cinereous  Crow,  Jlrct.  Zool.  p.  248,  No.  137. 
— LATHAM  i,  389. — Le  Geay  Brun  de  Canada,  BRISSON,  n,  54. 
— BUFFON,  in,  117. 

WERE  I  to  adopt  the  theoretical  reasoning  of  a  celebrated 
French  naturalist,  I  might  pronounce  this  bird  to  be  a  debased 
descendant  from  the  common  Blue  Jay  of  the  United  States, 
degenerated  by  the  influence  of  the  bleak  and  chilling  regions 
of  Canada;  or  perhaps  a  spurious  production,  between  the  Blue 
Jay  and  the  Cat-bird;  or  what  would  be  more  congenial  to  the 
Count's  ideas,  trace  its  degradation  to  the  circumstance  of  mi- 
grating, some  thousand  years  ago,  from  the  genial  shores  of 
Europe,  where  nothing  like  degeneracy  or  degradation  ever 
takes  place  among  any  of  God's  creatures.  I  shall,  however,  on 
the  present  occasion,  content  myself  with  stating  a  few  particu- 
lars better  supported  by  facts,  and  more  consonant  to  the  plain 
homespun  of  common  sense. 

This  species  inhabits  the  country  extending  from  Hudson's 
Bay,  and  probably  farther  north,  to  the  river  St.  Lawrence ;  also 
in  winter  the  inland  parts  of  the  District  of  Maine,  and  northern 
tracts  of  the  states  of  Vermont  and  New  York.  When  the  season 
is  very  severe,  with  deep  snow,  they  sometimes  advance  farther 
south;  but  generally  return  northward  as  the  weather  becomes 
more  mild. 

The  character  given  of  this  bird  by  the  people  of  those  parts 
of  the  country  where  it  inhabits,  is,  that  it  feeds  on  black  moss, 
worms,  and  even  flesh; — when  near  habitations  or  tents,  pilfers 
every  thing  it  can  come  at — is  bold,  and  comes  even  into  the 


CANADA  JAY.  190 

tent  to  eat  meat  out  of  the  dishes; — watches  the  hunters  while 
baiting  their  traps  for  martens,  and  devours  the  bait  as  soon  as 
their  backs  are  turned;  that  they  breed  early  in  spring,  building 
their  nests  on  pine  trees,  forming  them  of  sticks  and  grass,  and 
lay  blue  eggs;  that  they  have  two,  rarely  three  young  at  a  time, 
which  are  at  first  quite  black,  and  continue  so  for  some  time; 
that  they  fly  in  pairs;  lay  up  hoards  of  berries  in  hollow  trees; 
are  seldom  seen  in  January,  unless  near  houses;  are  a  kind  of 
Mock-bird;  and  when  caught  pine  away,  though  their  appetite 
never  fails  them ;  notwithstanding  all  which  ingenuity  and  good 
qualities,  they  are,  as  we  are  informed,  detested  by  the  natives.* 
The  only  individuals  of  this  species  that  I  ever  met  with  in 
the  United  States  were  on  the  shores  of  the  Mohawk,  a  short 
way  above  the  Little  Falls.  It  was  about  the  last  of  November, 
and  the  ground  deeply  covered  with  snow.  There  were  three 
or  four  in  company,  or  within  a  small  distance  of  each  other, 
flitting  leisurely  along  the  road  side,  keeping  up  a  kind  of  low 
chattering  with  one  another,  and  seemed  nowise  apprehensive 
at  my  approach.  I  soon  secured  the  whole;  from  the  best  of 
which  the  drawing  in  the  plate  was  carefully  made.  On  dissec- 
tion I  found  their  stomachs  occupied  by  a  few  spiders  and  the 
aureliae  of  some  insects.  I  could  perceive  no  difference  between 
the  plumage  of  the  male  and  female. 

The  Canada  Jay  is  eleven  inches  long,  and  fifteen  in  extent; 
back,  wings,  and  tail,  a  dull  leaden  gray,  the  latter  long,  cunei- 
form, and  tipt  with  dirty  white;  interior  vanes  of  the  wings 
brown,  and  also  partly  tipt  with  white;  plumage  of  the  head 
loose  and  prominent;  the  forehead  and  feathers  covering  the 
nostril,  as  well  as  the  whole  lower  parts,  a  dirty  brownish  white, 
which  also  passes  round  the  bottom  of  the  neck  like  a  collar; 
part  of  the  crown  and  hind-head  black;  bill  and  legs  also  black; 
eye  dark  hazel.  The  whole  plumage  on  the  back  is  long,  loose, 
unwebbed,  and  in  great  abundance,  as  if  to  protect  it  from  the 
rigours  of  the  regions  it  inhabits. 

*  HEARNE'S  Journey,  p.  405. 


200  CANADA  JAY. 

A  gentleman  of  observation,  who  resided  for  many  years  near 
the  North  river,  not  far  from  Hudson,  in  the  state  of  New  York, 
informs  me,  that  he  has  particularly  observed  this  bird  to  arrive 
there  at  the  commencement  of  cold  weather — he  has  often  re- 
marked its  solitary  habits;  it  seemed  to  seek  the  most  unfrequent- 
ed shaded  retreats,  keeping  almost  constantly  on  the  ground,  yet 
would  sometimes,  towards  evening,  mount  to  the  top  of  a  small 
tree,  and  repeat  its  notes  (which  a  little  resemble  those  of  the 
Baltimore)  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  together;  and  this  it  gene- 
rally did  immediately  before  snow,  or  falling  weather. 


GENUS  15.     ORIOLUS.* 

SPECIES  1.     ORIOLUS  BALTIMORUSA 

BALTIMORE  ORIOLE. 

[Plate.  1.  -Fig.   3.   Male.] 

LINN.  Syst.  I,  p.  165,  10. — Icterus  minor,  BRISS.  n,  p.  109,  pL  12, 
fig.  \.-Le  Baltimore,  BUFF.  in,;?.  231.  PL  Enl.  506, fg.  1.— 
Baltimore  Bird,  CATESB.  Car.  1,  48. —  Arct.  Zool.  n,  p,  142. 
— LATH.  Syn.  n,  p.  432,  19.  BARTUAM,  p,  290. — PEALK'S  Mu- 
seum, No.  1506. 

THIS  is  a  bird  of  passage,  arriving  in  Pennsylvania,  from  the 
south,  about  the  beginning  of  May,  and  departing  towards  the 
latter  end  of  August,  or  beginning  of  September.  From  the 
singularity  of  its  colours,  the  construction  of  its  nest,  and  its 
preferring  the  apple-trees,  weeping-willows,  walnut  and  tulip- 
trees,  adjoining  the  farm-house,  to  build  on,  it  is  generally 
known,  and,  as  usual,  honoured  with  a  variety  of  names,  such 
as  Hang-nest,  Hanging-bird,  Golden  Robin,  Fire-bird  (from 
the  bright  orange  seen  through  the  green  leaves,  resembling  a 
flash  of  fire),  &c.  but  more  generally  the  Baltimore-bird,  so 
named,  as  Catesby  informs  us,  from  its  colours,  which  are  black 
and  orange,  being  those  of  the  arms  or  livery  of  lord  Baltimore, 
formerly  proprietary  of  Maryland. 

The  Baltimore  Oriole  is  seven  inches  in  length;  bill  almost 
straight,  strong,  tapering  to  a  sharp  point,  black,  and  sometimes 

*  This  genus  has  been  variously  divided  by  modern  ornithologists.  Tem- 
minck  has  separated  it  into  four  sections,  viz.  Cassicus,  Quiscala,  Icterus,  and 
Emberizoides.  The  two  species  described  by  Wilson,  belong  to  the  third  section, 
Icterus. 

|  Coracias  Galbula,  LIXK.  Syst.  ed.  10,  torn.  1,  108. — Oriolus  Baltimore,  LATH, 
Ind.  Om.  180. 

VOL.    I. 3  E 


202  BALTIMORE  ORIOLE. 

lead  coloured  above,  the  lower  mandible  light  blue  towards  the 
base.  Head,  throat,  upper  part  of  the  back  and  wings,  black; 
lower  part  of  the  back,  rump,  and  whole  under  parts,  a  bright 
orange,  deepening  into  vermilion  on  the  breast;  the  black  on 
the  shoulders  is  also  divided  by  a  band  of  orange;  exterior 
edges  of  the  greater  wing-coverts,  as  well  as  the  edges  of  the 
secondaries,  and  part  of  those  of  the  primaries,  white;  the  tail 
feathers,  under  the  coverts,  orange ;  the  two  middle  ones  thence 
to  the  tips  are  black,  the  next  five,  on  each  side,  black  near  the 
coverts,  and  orange  toward  the  extremities,  so  disposed,  that 
when  the  tail  is  expanded,  and  the  coverts  removed,  the  black 
appears  in  the  form  of  a  pyramid,  supported  on  an  arch  of  orange, 
tail  slightly  forked,  the  exterior  feather  on  each  side  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  shorter  than  the  others;  legs  and  feet  light  blue  or 
lead  colour;  iris  of  the  eye  hazel. 

The  female  has  the  head,  throat,  upper  part  of  the  neck  and 
back,  of  a  dull  black,  each  feather  being  skirted  with  olive  yel- 
low, lower  part  of  the  back,  rump,  upper  tail-coverts,  and 
whole  lower  parts,  orange  yellow,  but  much  duller  than  that  of 
the  male;  the  whole  wing  feathers  are  of  a  deep  dirty  brown, 
except  the  quills,  which  are  exteriorly  edged,  and  the  greater 
wing-coverts,  and  next  superior  row,  which  are  broadly  tipt, 
with  a  dull  yellowish  white;  tail  olive  yellow;  in  some  speci- 
mens the  two  middle  feathers  have  been  found  partly  black,  in 
others  wholly  so;  the  black  on  the  throat  does  not  descend  so 
far  as  in  the  male,  is  of  a  lighter  tinge,  and  more  irregular;  bill, 
legs  and  claws,  light  blue. 

Buffon,  and  Latham,  have  both  described  the  male  of  the 
bastard  Baltimore  ( Oriolus  spurius),  as  the  female  Baltimore. 
Pennant  has  committed  the  same  mistake;  and  all  the  ornithol- 
ogists of  Europe,  with  whose  works  I  am  acquainted,  who  have 
undertaken  to  figure  and  describe  these  birds,  have  mistaken 
the  proper  males  and  females,  and  confounded  the  two  species 
together  in  a  very  confused  and  extraordinary  manner,  for 
which  indeed  we  ought  to  pardon  them,  on  account  of  their 


BALTIMORE  ORIOLE.  203 

distance  from  the  native  residence  of  these  birds,  and  the  strange 
alterations  of  colour  which  the  latter  are  subject  to. 

This  obscurity  I  have  endeavoured  to  clear  up  in  the  present 
volume  of  this  work,  PI.  iv,  by  exhibiting  the  male  and  female 
of  the  Oriolus  spurius  in  their  different  changes  of  dress,  as  well 
as  in  their  perfect  plumage;  and  by  introducing  representations 
of  the  eggs  of  both,  have,  I  hope,  put  the  identity  of  these  two 
species  beyond  all  further  dispute  or  ambiguity. 

Almost  the  whole  genus  of  Orioles  belong  to  America,  and 
with  a  few  exceptions  build  pensile  nests.  Few  of  them,  how- 
ever, equal  the  Baltimore  in  the  construction  of  these  recepta- 
cles for  their  young,  and  in  giving  them,  in  such  a  superior  de- 
gree, convenience,  warmth  and  security.  For  these  purposes  he 
generally  fixes  on  the  high  bending  extremities  of  the  branches, 
fastening  strong  strings  of  hemp  or  flax  round  two  forked  twigs, 
corresponding  to  the  intended  width  of  the  nest;  with  the  same 
materials,  mixed  with  quantities  of  loose  tow,  he  interweaves 
or  fabricates  a  strong  firm  kind  of  cloth,  not  unlike  the  substance 
of  a  hat  in  its  raw  state,  forming  it  into  a  pouch  of  six  or  seven 
inches  in  depth,  lining  it  substantially  with  various  soft  substan- 
ces, well  interwoven  with  the  outward  netting,  and  lastly,  fin- 
ishes with  a  layer  of  horse  hair;  the  whole  being  shaded  from 
the  sun  and  rain  by  a  natural  pent-house,  or  canopy  of  leaves. 
As  to  a  hole  being  left  in  the  side  for  the  young  to  be  fed,  and 
void  their  excrements  through,  as  Pennant  and  others  relate, 
it  is  certainly  an  error:  I  have  never  met  with  any  thing  of  the 
kind  in  the  nest  of  the  Baltimore. 

Though  birds  of  the  same  species  have,  generally  speaking, 
a  common  form  of  building,  yet,  contrary  to  the  usually  re- 
ceived opinion,  they  do  not  build  exactly  in  the  same  manner. 
As  much  difference  will  be  found  in  the  style,  neatness,  and 
finishing  of  the  nests  of  the  Baltimores,  as  in  their  voices.  Some 
appear  far  superior  workmen  to  others;  and  probably  age  may 
improve  them  in  this  as  it  does  in  their  colours.  I  have  a  num- 
ber of  their  nests  now  before  me,  all  completed,  and  with  eggs. 
One  of  these,  the  neatest,  is  in  the  form  of  a  cylinder,  of  five 


204  BALTIMORE  ORIOLE. 

inches  diameter,  and  seven  inches  in  depth,  rounded  at  bot- 
tom. The  opening  at  top  is  narrowed,  by  a  horizontal  cover- 
ing, to  two  inches  and  a  half  in  diameter.  The  materials  are 
flax,  hemp,  tow,  hair,  and  wool,  woven  into  a  complete  cloth; 
the  whole  tightly  sewed  through  and  through  with  long  horse 
hairs,  several  of  which  measure  two  feet  in  length.  The  bot- 
tom is  composed  of  thick  tufts  of  cow  hair,  sewed  also  with 
strong  horse  hair.  This  nest  was  hung  on  the  extemity  of  the 
horizontal  branch  of  an  apple-tree,  fronting  the  south-east;  was 
visible  one  hundred  yards  off, 'though  shaded  by  the  sun;  and 
was  the  work  of  a  very  beautiful  and  perfect  bird.  The  eggs 
are  five,  white,  slightly  tinged  with  flesh  colour,  marked  on 
the  greater  end  with  purple  dots,  and  on  the  other  parts  with 
long  hair-like  lines,  intersecting  each  other  in  a  variety  of  di- 
rections. I  am  thus  minute  in  these  particulars,  from  a  wish  to 
point  out  the  specific  difference  between  the  true  and  bastard 
Baltimore,  which  Dr.  Latham  and  some  others  suspect  to  be 
only  the  same  bird  in  different  stages  of  colour. 

So  solicitous  is  the  Baltimore  to  procure  proper  materials  for 
his  nest,  that,  in  the  season  of  building,  the  women  in  the  coun- 
try are  under  the  necessity  of  narrowly  watching  their  thread 
that  may  chance  to  be  out  bleaching,  and  the  farmer  to  secure 
his  young  grafts;  as  the  Baltimore  finding  the  former,  and  the 
strings  which  tie  the  latter,  so  well  adapted  for  his  purpose,  fre- 
quently carries  off  both ;  or  should  the  one  be  too  heavy,  and 
the  other  too  firmly  tied,  he  will  tug  at  them  a  considerable 
time  before  he  gives  up  the  attempt.  Skeins  of  silk,  and  hanks 
of  thread,  have  been  often  found,  after  the  leaves  were  fallen, 
hanging  round  the  Baltimore's  nest;  but  so  woven  up,  and  en- 
tangled, as  to  be  entirely  irreclaimable.  Before  the  introduc- 
tion of  Europeans,  no  such  material  could  have  been  obtained 
here;  but  with  the  sagacity  of  a  good  architect,  he  has  improved 
this  circumstance  to  his  advantage;  and  the  strongest  and  best 
materials  are  uniformly  found  in  those  parts  by  which  the 
whole  is  supported. 

Their  principal  food  consists  of  caterpillars,  beetles  and  bugs, 


BALTIMORE  ORIOLE.  205 

particularly  one  of  a  brilliant  glossy  green,  fragments  of  which 
I  have  almost  always  found  in  their  stomach,  and  sometimes 
these  only. 

The  song  of  the  Baltimore  is  a  clear  mellow  whistle,  repeat- 
ed at  short  intervals  as  he  gleans  among  the  branches.  There  is 
in  it  a  certain  wild  plaintiveness  and  naivete,  extremeJy  in- 
teresting. It  is  not  uttered  with  the  rapidity  of  the  ferruginous 
thrush  ( Turdus  rufus),  and  some  other  eminent  songsters;  but 
with  the  pleasing  tranquillity  of  a  careless  plough-boy,  whistling 
merely  for  his  own  amusement.  When  alarmed  by  an  approach 
to  his  nest,  or  any  such  circumstances,  he  makes  a  kind  of  rapid 
chirruping,  very  different  from  his  usual  note.  This,  however, 
is  always  succeeded  by  those  mellow  tones,  which  seem  so 
congenial  to  his  nature. 

High  on  yon  poplar,  clad  in  glossiest  green, 
The  orange,  black-capp'd  Baltimore  is  seen, 
The  broad  extended  boughs  still  please  him  best; 
Beneath  their  bending-  skirts  he  hangs  his  nest; 
There  his  sweet  mate,  secure  from  every  harm, 
Broods  o'er  her  spotted  store,  and  wraps  them  warm; 
Lists  to  the  noontide  hum  of  busy  bees, 
Her  partner's  mellow  song>  the  brook,  the  breeze; 
These,  day  by  day,  the  lonely  hours  deceive, 
From  dewy  morn  to  slow  descending-  eve. 
Two  weeks  elaps'd,  behold  a  helpless  crew! 
Claim  all  her  care  and  her  affection  too; 
On  wings  of  love  th'  assiduous  nurses  fly, 
Flowers,  leaves  and  boughs,  abundant  food  supply; 
Glad  chants  their  gnardian  as  abroad  he  goes, 
And  waving  breezes  rock  them  to  repose. 

The  Baltimore  inhabits  North  America,  from  Canada  to  Mex- 
ico, and  is  even  found  as  far  south  as  Brazil.  Since  the  streets 
of  our  cities  have  been  planted  with  that  beautiful  and  stately 
tree,  the  Lombardy  poplar,  these  birds  are  our  constant  visitors 
during  the  early  part  of  summer;  and  amid  the  noise  and 
tumult  of  coaches,  drays,  wheelbarrows,  and  the  din  of  the 
multitude,  they  are  heard  chanting  "  their  native  wood  notes 


206  BALTIMORE   ORIOLE. 

wild;"  sometimes  too  within  a  few  yards  of  an  oysterman,  who 
stands  bellowing  with  the  lungs  of  a  Stentor,  under  the  shade 
of  the  same  tree;  so  much  will  habit  reconcile  even  birds  to  the 
roar  of  the  city,  and  to  sounds  and  noises,  that  in  other  cir- 
cumstances, would  put  a  whole  grove  of  them  to  flight. 

These  birds  are  several  years  in  receiving  their  complete  plu- 
mage. Sometimes  the  whole  tail  of  a  male  individual,  in  spring, 
is  yellow,  sometimes  only  the  two  middle  feathers  are  black, 
and  frequently  the  black  on  the  back  is  skirted  with  orange, 
and  the  tail  tipt  with  the  same  colour.  Three  years,  I  have  rea- 
son to  believe,  are  necessary  to  fix  the  full  tint  of  the  plumage, 
and  then  the  male  bird  appears  as  already  described. 


ORIOLUS  BALTIMORUS, 
BALTIMORE  ORIOLE. 

[Plate  LIIL— Fig.  4.  Female.] 

THE  history  of  this  beautiful  species  has  been  already  par- 
ticularly detailed;  to  this  representation  of  the  female,  drawn 
of  half  the  size  of  nature,  a  few  particulars  may  be  added.  The 
males  generally  arrive  several  days  before  the  females,  saunter 
about  their  wonted  places  of  residence,  and  seem  lonely  and 
less  sprightly  than  after  the  arrival  of  their  mates.  In  the  spring 
and  summer  of  1811,  a  Baltimore  took  up  its  abode  in  Mr. 
Bartram's  garden,  whose  notes  were  so  singular  as  particularly 
to  attract  my  attention;  they  were  as  well  known  to  me  as  the 
voice  of  my  most  intimate  friend.  On  the  thirtieth  of  April, 
1812,  I  was  again  surprised  and  pleased  at  hearing  this  same 
Baltimore  in  the  garden,  whistling  his  identical  old  chant;  and 
I  observed  that  he  particularly  frequented  that  quarter  of  the 
garden  where  the  tree  stood,  on  the  pendent  branches  of  which 
he  had  formed  his  nest  the  preceding  year.  This  nest  had  been 
taken  possession  of  by  the  House  Wren,  a  few  days  after  the 
Baltimore's  brood  had  abandoned  it;  and  curious  to  know  how 
the  little  intruder  had  furnished  it  within,  I  had  taken  it  down 
early  in  the  fall,  after  the  Wren  herself  had  also  raised  a  brood 
of  six  young  in  it,  and  which  was  her  second  that  season.  I 
found  it  stript  of  its  original  lining,  floored  with  sticks,  or  small 
twigs,  above  which  were  laid  feathers;  so  that  the  usual  com- 
plete nest  of  the  Wren  occupied  the  interior  of  that  of  the  Bal- 
timore. 

The  chief  difference  between  the  male  and  female  Baltimore 
Oriole,  is  the  superior  brightness  of  the  orange  colour  of  the  for- 
mer to  that  of  the  latter.  The  black  on  the  head,  upper  part  of 


208  BALTIMORE  ORIOLE. 

the  back  and  throat,  of  the  female,  is  intermixed  with  dull 
orange;  whereas  in  the  male  those  parts  are  of  a  deep  shining 
black;  the  tail  of  the  female  also  wants  the  greater  part  of  the 
black,  and  the  whole  lower  parts  are  of  a  much  duskier  orange. 
I  have  observed  that  these  birds  are  rarely  seen  in  pine  woods, 
or  where  these  trees  generally  prevail.  On  the  ridges  of  our 
high  mountains,  they  are  also  seldom  to  be  met  with.  In  or- 
chards, and  on  well  cultivated  farms,  they  are  most  numerous, 
generally  preferring  such  places  to  build  in,  rather  than  the 
woods  or  forest 


SPECIES  2.     ORIOL  US  MUTA  TU£* 
ORCHARD  ORIOLE. 

[Plate  IV.] 

Bastard  Baltimore,  CATESBY,  i,  49.  —  Le  Baltimore  batard,  BUF- 
FON,  m,  233.  PI.  enl.  506,  —  Oriolus  spurius,  GMEL.  Syst.  i,p. 
389.—  LATH.  Syn.  n,  p.  433,  20,  p.  437,  24.—  BARTRAM,  p.  290. 
—  PEALE'S  Museum,  No.  1508. 

THERE  are  no  circumstances,  relating  to  birds,  which  tend 
so  much  to  render  their  history  obscure  and  perplexing,  as  the 
various  changes  of  colour  which  many  of  them  undergo.  These 
changes  are  in  some  cases  periodical,  in  others  progressive;  and 
are  frequently  so  extraordinary,  that,  unless  the  naturalist  has 
resided  for  years  in  the  country  where  the  birds  inhabit,  and 
has  examined  them  at  almost  every  season,  he  is  extremely  lia- 
ble to  be  mistaken  and  imposed  on  by  their  novel  appearance. 
Numerous  instances  of  this  kind  might  be  cited,  from  the  pages 
of  European  writers,  in  which  the  same  bird  has  been  described 
two,  three,  and  even  four  different  times,  by  the  same  person; 
and  each  time  as  a  different  kind.  The  species  we  are  now  about 
to  examine  is  a  remarkable  example  of  this;  and  as  it  has  never 
to  my  knowledge  been  either  accurately  figured  or  described,  I 
have  devoted  one  plate  to  the  elucidation  of  its  history. 

The  Count  de  Buffon,  in  introducing  what  he  supposed  to  be 
the  male  of  this  bird,  but  which  appears  evidently  to  have  been 
the  female  of  the  Baltimore  Oriole,  makes  the  following  obser- 


*  0.  Spwius  Liiftf.  which  name  must  be  adopted.  Icterus  minor  spurius, 
Bmss.  u,  111,  pi  10,  fig.  3.—  Carouge  de  Cayenne,  Burr.  PL  Enl.  607,  fig.  1, 
(adult  male.)  Carouge  du  Cap  de  bonne.  Esptrance,  BUFF.  PI.  Enl.  607,  fig.  2, 
(female.)  Merle  ti  gorge  noire  de  Sf.  Domingue,  BUFF.  Pi.  Enl.  559,  (young 
male.  ) 

VOL.  i.  —  3  r 


210  ORCHARD  ORIOLE. 

vations,  which  I  give  in  the  words  of  his  translator.  "  This  bird 
"is  so  called  (Spurious  Baltimore,)  because  the  colours  of  its 
"  plumage  are  not  so  lively  as  in  the  preceding  (Baltimore  0.) 
"  In  fact,  when  we  compare  these  birds,  and  find  an  exact  cor- 
"  respondence  in  every  thing  except  the  colours,  and  not  even 
"  in  the  distribution  of  these,  but  only  in  the  different  tints  they 
"assume,  we  cannot  hesitate  to  infer,  that  the  Spurious  Balti- 
"  more  is  a  variety  of  a  more  generous  race,  degenerated  by  the 
"  influence  of  climate,  or  some  other  accidental  cause." 

How  the  influence  of  climate  could  affect  one  portion  of  a  spe- 
cies and  not  the  other,  when  both  reside  in  the  same  climate, 
and  feed  nearly  on  the  same  food;  or  what  accidental  cause  could 
produce  a  difference  so  striking,  and  also  so  regular,  as  exists 
between  the  two,  are,  I  confess,  matters  beyond  my  compre- 
hension. But,  if  it  be  recollected,  that  the  bird  which  the  Count 
was  thus  philosophizing  upon,  was  nothing  more  than  the  female 
Baltimore  Oriole,  which  exactly  corresponds  to  the  description 
of  his  male  Bastard  Baltimore,  the  difficulties  at  once  vanish,  and 
with  them  the  whole  superstructure  of  theory  founded  on  this 
mistake.  Dr.  Latham  also,  while  he  confesses  the  great  confu- 
sion and  uncertainty  that  prevail  between  the  true  and  bastard 
Baltimore  and  their  females,  considers  it  highly  probable  that 
the  whole  will  be  found  to  belong  to  one  and  the  same  species, 
in  their  different  changes  of  colour.  In  this  conjecture,  however, 
the  worthy  naturalist  has  likewise  been  mistaken;  and  I  shall 
endeavour  to  point  out  the  fact  as  well  as  the  source  of  this  mis- 
take. 

And  here  I  cannot  but  take  notice  of  the  name  which  natu- 
ralists have  bestowed  on  this  bird,  and  which  is  certainly  re- 
markable. Specific  names,  to  be  perfect,  ought  to  express  some 
peculiarity,  common  to  no  other  of  the  genus;  and  should,  at 
least,  be  consistent  with  truth;  but  in  the  case  now  before  us, 
the  name  has  no  one  merit  of  the  former,  nor  even  that  of  the 
latter  to  recommend  it,  and  ought  henceforth  to  be  rejected  as 
highly  improper,  and  calculated,  like  that  of  Goatsucker,  and 
many  others  equally  ridiculous,  to  perpetuate  that  error  from 


ORCHARD  ORIOLE.  211 

which  it  originated.  The  word  bastard  among  men  has  its  de- 
terminate meaning;  but  when  applied  to  a  whole  species  of  birds, 
perfectly  distinct  from  any  other,  originally  deriving  their  pe- 
culiarities of  form,  manners,  colour,  &c.  from  the  common  source 
of  all  created  beings,  and  perpetuating  them,  by  the  usual  laws 
of  generation,  as  unmixed  and  independent  as  any  other,  is,  to 
call  it  by  no  worse  a  name,  a  gross  absurdity.  Should  the  reader 
be  displeased  at  this,  I  beg  leave  to  remind  him,  that  as  the 
faithful  historian  of  our  feathered  tribes,  I  must  be  allowed  the 
liberty  of  vindicating  them  from  every  misrepresentation  what- 
ever, whether  originating  in  ignorance  or  prejudice;  and  of  al- 
lotting to  each  respective  species,  as  far  as  I  can  distinguish,  that 
rank  and  place  in  the  great  order  of  nature,  to  which  it  is  enti- 
tled. 

To  convince  the  foreigner  (for  Americans  have  no  doubt  on 
the  subject)  that  the  present  is  a  distinct  species  from  the  Balti- 
more, it  might  be  sufficient  to  refer  to  the  figure  of  the  latter,  in 
Plate  I,  and  to  fig.  4,  Plate  IV,  of  this  work.  I  will  however 
add,  that  I  conclude  this  bird  to  be  specifically  different  from 
the  Baltimore,  from  the  following  circumstances:  its  size — it  is 
less,  and  more  slender;  its  colours,  which  are  different,  and  very 
differently  disposed;  the  form  of  its  bill,  which  is  sharper  point- 
ed, and  more  bent;  the  form  of  its  tail,  which  is  not  even  but 
wedged;  its  notes,  which  are  neither  so  full  nor  so  mellow,  and 
uttered  with  much  more  rapidity;  its  mode  of  building,  and  the 
materials  it  uses,  both  of  which  are  different;  and  lastly,  the 
shape  and  colour  of  the  eggs  of  each  (see  figs,  a  and  £,)  which 
are  evidently  unlike.  If  all  these  circumstances,  and  I  could 
enumerate  a  great  many  more,  be  not  sufficient  to  designate  this 
as  a  distinct  species,  by  what  criterion,  I  would  ask,  are  we  to 
discriminate  between  a  variety  and  an  original  species,  or  to 
assure  ourselves,  that  the  Great-horned  Owl  is  not  in  fact  a  bas- 
tard Goose,  or  the  Carrion-crow  a  mere  variety  of  the  Hum- 
ming-bird? 

These  mistakes  have  been  occasioned  by  several  causes.  Prin- 
cipally by  the  changes  of  colour,  to  which  the  birds  are  subject, 


212  ORCHARD  ORIOLE. 

and  the  distance  of  Europeans  from  the  country  they  inhabit. 
Catesby,  it  is  true,  while  in  Carolina,  described  and  figured  the 
Baltimore,  and  perhaps  was  the  first  who  published  figures  of 
either  species;  but  he  entirely  omitted  saying  any  thing  of  the 
female;  and  instead  of  the  male  and  female  of  the  present  spe- 
cies, as  he  thought,  he  has  only  figured  the  male  in  two  of  his 
different  dresses;  and  succeeding  compilers  have  followed  and 
repeated  the  same  error.  Another  cause  may  be  assigned,  viz. 
the  extreme  shyness  of  the  female  Orchard  Oriole,  represented 
at  fig.  1.  This  bird  has  hitherto  escaped  the  notice  of  European 
naturalists,  or  has  been  mistaken  for  another  species,  or  perhaps 
for  a  young  bird  of  the  first  season,  which  it  almost  exactly  re- 
sembles. In  none  of  the  numerous  works  on  ornithology  has  it 
ever  before  appeared  in  its  proper  character;  though  the  male 
has  been  known  to  Europeans  for  more  than  a  century,  and  has 
usually  been  figured  in  one  of  his  dresses  as  male,  and  in  another 
as  female;  these  varying  according  to  the  fluctuating  opinions 
of  different  writers.  It  is  amusing  to  see  how  gentlemen  have 
groped  in  the  dark  in  pairing  these  two  species  of  Orioles,  of 
which  the  following  examples  may  be  given: 

Buffon's  and  Latham's  1  Male  —  Male  Baltimore. 

Baltimore  Oriole,      j  Female  —  Male  Orchard  Oriole,  fig.  4. 
Spurious  Baltimore  of")  Male  —  Female  Baltimore 

Ditto.  J  Female  —  Male  Orchard  Oriole,  fig.  2. 

T>  +?  -R  u-          n  1  Male  —  Male  Baltimore. 

Pennant'sBalt,moreO. 


Spurious  0.  of  Ditto.  1  ^-Male  Orchard  Q.  fig.  4. 
J  Female  —  Ditto,  ditto,  fig.  2. 


Catesby  >,  Baltimore  0.     ^eTM£e  Baltimore 
9  J  Female  —  Not  mentioned. 

G       v  10  TI     f  TV**      1  Male  —  Male  Orchard  0.  fig.  2. 
Spurious  B.  of  Ditto,  j  Female_miOy  ditto?  %  { 

Among  all  these  authors,  Catesby  is  doubtless  the  most  inex- 
cusable, having  lived  for  several  years  in  America,  where  he 
had  an  opportunity  of  being  more  correct;  yet  when  it  is  con- 
sidered, that  the  female  of  this  bird  is  so  much  shyer  than  the 


ORCHARD  ORIOLE.  213 

male,  that  it  is  seldom  seen;  and  that  while  the  males  are  flying 
around  and  bewailing  an  approach  to  their  nest,  the  females 
keep  aloof,  watching  every  movement  of  the  enemy  in  restless 
but  silent  anxiety;  it  is  less  to  be  wondered  at,  I  say,  that  two 
birds  of  the  same  kind,  but  different  in  plumage,  making  their 
appearance  together  at  such  times,  should  be  taken  for  male  and 
female  of  the  same  nest,  without  doubt  or  examination,  as  from 
that  strong  sympathy  for  each  other's  distress,  which  prevails 
so  universally  among  them  at  this  season,  it  is  difficult  sometimes 
to  distinguish  between  the  sufferer  and  the  sympathizing  neigh- 
bour. 

The  female  of  the  Orchard  Oriole,  fig.  1,  is  six  inches  and  a 
half  in  length,  and  eleven  inches  in  extent,  the  colour  above  is 
a  yellow  olive,  inclining  to  a  brownish  tint  on  the  back;  the 
wings  are  dusky  brown,  lesser  wing-coverts  tipt  with  yellowish 
white,  greater  coverts  and  secondaries  exteriorly  edged  with 
the  same,  primaries  slightly  so;  tail  rounded  at  the  extremity, 
the  two  exterior  feathers  three  quarters  of  an  inch  shorter  than 
the  middle  ones;  whole  lower  parts  yellow;  bill  and  legs  light 
blue,  the  former  bent  a  little,  very  sharp  pointed,  and  black  to- 
wards the  extremity;  iris  of  the  eye  hazel,  pupil  black.  The 
young  male  of  the  first  season  corresponds  nearly  with  the  above 
description.  But  in  the  succeeding  spring,  he  makes  his  appear- 
ance with  a  large  patch  of  black  marking  the  front,  lores  and 
throat,  as  represented  in  fig.  2.  In  this  stage,  too,  the  black 
sometimes  makes  its  appearance  on  the  two  middle  feathers  of 
the  tail;  and  slight  stains  of  reddish  are  seen  commencing  on 
the  sides  and  belly.  The  rest  of  the  plumage  as  in  the  female. 
This  continuing  nearly  the  same,  on  the  same  bird  during  the 
remainder  of  the  season.  At  the  same  time  other  inviduals  are 
found  as  represented  by  fig.  3,  which  are  at  least  birds  of  the 
third  summer.  These  are  mottled  with  black  and  olive  on  the 
upper  parts  of  the  back,  and  with  reddish  bay  and  yellow  on 
the  belly,  sides  and  vent,  scattered  in  the  most  irregular  manner, 
not  alike  in  any  two  individuals;  and  generally  the  two  middle 
feathers  of  the  tail  are  black,  and  the  others  centred  with  the 


214  ORCHARD  ORIOLE. 

same  colour.  This  bird  is  now  evidently  approaching  to  its  per- 
fect plumage,  as  represented  in  fig.  4,  where  the  black  spreads 
over  the  whole  head,  neck,  upper  part  of  the  back,  breast,  wings 
and  tail,  the  reddish  bay  or  bright  chestnut  occupying  the  lower 
part  of  the  breast,  the  belly,  vent,  rump,  tail-coverts,  and  three 
lower  rows  of  the  lesser  wing-coverts.  The  black  on  the  head 
is  deep  and  velvety ;  that  of  the  wings  inclining  to  brown;  the 
greater  wing-coverts  are  tipt  with  white.  In  the  same  orchard, 
and  at  the  same  time,  males  in  each  of  these  states  of  plumage 
may  be  found,  united  to  their  repective  plain-coloured  mates. 

In  all  these  the  manners,  mode  of  building,  food  and  notes 
are,  generally  speaking,  the  same,  differing  no  more  than  those 
of  any  other  individuals  belonging  to  one  common  species.  The 
female  appears  always  nearly  the  same. 

I  have  said  that  these  birds  construct  their  nests  very  differ- 
ently from  the  Baltimores.  They  are  so  particularly  fond  of 
frequenting  orchards,  that  scarcely  one  orchard  in  summer  is 
without  them.  They  usually  suspend  their  nest  from  the  twigs 
of  the  apple  tree;  and  often  from  the  extremities  of  the  outward 
branches.  It  is  formed  exteriorly  of  a  particular  species  of  long, 
tough  and  flexible  grass,  knit  or  sewed  through  and  through  in 
a  thousand  directions,  as  if  actually  done  with  a  needle.  An  old 
lady  of  my  acquaintance,  to  whom  I  was  one  day  showing  this 
curious  fabrication,  after  admiring  its  texture  for  some  time, 
asked  me  in  a  tone  between  joke  and  earnest,  whether  I  did  not 
think  it  possible  to  learn  these  birds  to  darn  stockings.  This 
nest  is  hemispherical,  three  inches  deep  by  four  in  breadth ;  the 
concavity  scarcely  two  inches  deep  by  two  in  diameter.  I  had 
the  curiosity  to  detach  one  of  the  fibres,  or  stalks,  of  dried  grass 
from  the  nest,  and  found  it  to  measure  thirteen  inches  in  length, 
and  in  that  distance  was  thirty-four  times  hooked  through  and 
returned,  winding  round  and  round  the  nest!  The  inside  is 
usually  composed  of  wool,  or  the  light  downy  appendages  at- 
tached to  the  seeds  of  the  Platanus  occidentalis,  or  button- 
wood,  which  form  a  very  soft  and  commodious  bed.  Here  and 
there  the  outward  work  is  extended  to  an  adjoining  twig,  round 


ORCHARD  ORIOLE.  215 

which  it  is  strongly  twisted,  to  give  more  stability  to  the  whole, 
and  prevent  it  from  being  overset  by  the  wind. 

When  they  choose  the  long  pendent  branches  of  the  Weeping- 
willow  to  build  in,  as  they  frequently  do,  the  nest,  though  formed 
of  the  same  materials,  is  made  much  deeper,  and  of  slighter 
texture.  The  circumference  is  marked  out  by  a  number  of  these 
pensile  twigs,  that  descend  on  each  side  like  ribs,  supporting 
the  whole;  their  thick  foliage,  at  the  same  time,  completely  con- 
cealing the  nest  from  view.  The  depth  in  this  case  is  increased 
to  four  or  five  inches,  and  the  whole  is  made  much  slighter. 
These  long  pendent  branches,  being  sometimes  twelve  and  even 
fifteen  feet  in  length,  have  a  large  sweep  in  the  wind,  and  ren- 
der the  first  of  these  precautions  necessary,  to  prevent  the  eggs 
or  young  from  being  thrown  out;  and  the  close  shelter  afforded 
by  the  remarkable  thickness  of  the  foliage  is,  no  doubt,  the 
cause  of  the  latter.  Two  of  these  nests,  such  as  I  have  here  de- 
scribed, are  now  lying  before  me,  and  exhibit  not  only  art  in 
the  construction,  but  judgment  in  adapting  their  fabrication  so 
judiciously  to  their  particular  situations.  If  the  actions  of  birds 
proceeded,  as  some  would  have  us  believe,  from  the  mere  im- 
pulses of  that  thing  called  instinct,  individuals  of  the  same  spe- 
cies would  uniformly  build  their  nest  in  the  same  manner,  wher- 
ever they  might  happen  to  fix  it;  but  it  is  evident  from  these 
just  mentioned,  and  a  thousand  such  circumstances,  that  they 
reason  a  priori  from  cause  to  consequence;  providently  manag- 
ing with  a  constant  eye  to  future  necessity  and  convenience. 

The  eggs,  one  of  which  is  represented  in  the  same  plate  (fig. 
«,)  are  usually  four,  of  a  very  pale  bluish  tint,  with  a  few  small 
specks  of  brown  and  spots  of  dark  purple.  An  egg  of  the  Balti- 
more Oriole  is  exhibited  beside  it  (fig.  £,);  both  of  these  were 
minutely  copied  from  nature,  and  are  sufficient  of  themselves 
to  determine,  beyond  all  possibility  of  doubt,  the  diversity  of 
the  two  species.  I  may  add,  that  Charles  W.  Peale,  proprietor 
of  the  Museum  in  Philadelphia,  who,  as  a  practical  naturalist, 
stands  deservedly  first  in  the  first  rank  of  American  connoisseurs, 
has  expressed  to  me  his  perfect  conviction  of  the  changes  which 


216  ORCHARD  ORIOLE. 

these  birds  pass  through;  having  himself  examined  them  both 
in  spring,  and  towards  the  latter  part  of  summer,  and  having, 
at  the  present  time,  in  his  possession  thirty  or  forty  individuals 
of  this  species,  in  almost  every  gradation  of  change. 

The  Orchard  Oriole,  though  partly  a  dependent  on  the  indus- 
try of  the  farmer,  is  no  sneaking  pilferer,  but  an  open  and  truly 
beneficent  friend.  To  all  those  countless  multitudes  of  destruc- 
tive bugs  and  caterpillars,  that  infest  the  fruit  trees  in  spring 
and  summer,  preying  on  the  leaves,  blossoms  and  embryo  of 
the  fruit,  he  is  a  deadly  enemy;  devouring  them  wherever  he 
can  find  them;  and  destroying,  on  an  average,  some  hundreds 
of  them  every  day;  without  offering  the  slightest  injury  to  the 
fruit,  however  much  it  may  stand  in  his  way.  I  have  witnessed 
instances  where  the  entrance  to  his  nest  was  more  than  half 
closed  up  by  a  cluster  of  apples,  which  he  could  have  easily  de- 
molished in  half  a  minute;  but,  as  if  holding  the  property  of  his 
patron  sacred,  or  considering  it  as  a  natural  bulwark  to  his  own, 
he  slid  out  and  in  with  the  greatest  gentleness  and  caution.  I 
am  not  sufficiently  conversant  in  entomology  to  particularize 
the  different  species  of  insects  on  which  he  feeds;  but  I  have 
good  reason  for  believing  that  they  are  almost  altogether  such 
as  commit  the  greatest  depredations  on  the  fruits  of  the  orchard; 
and,  as  he  visits  us  at  a  time  when  his  services  are  of  the  great- 
est value,  and,  like  a  faithful  guardian,  takes  up  his  station  where 
the  enemy  is  most  to  be  expected,  he  ought  to  be  held  in  re- 
spectful esteem,  and  protected  by  every  considerate  husbandman. 
Nor  is  the  gayety  of  his  song  one  of  his  least  recommendations. 
Being  an  exceedingly  active,  sprightly  and  restless  bird,  he  is 
on  the  ground — on  the  trees — flying  and  carolling  in  his  hurried 
manner,  in  almost  one  and  the  same  instant.  His  notes  are  shrill 
and  lively,  but  uttered  with  such  rapidity  and  seeming  confu- 
sion, that  the  ear  is  unable  to  follow  them  distinctly.  Between 
these  he  has  a  single  note,  which  is  agreeable  and  interesting. 
Wherever  he  is  protected,  he  shows  his  confidence  and  gratitude, 
by  his  numbers  and  familiarity.  In  the  Botanic  Garden  of  my 
worthy  and  scientific  friends,  the  Messrs.  Bartrams  of  Kingsess, 


ORCHARD  ORIOLE.  217 

— which  present  an  epitome  of  almost  every  thing  that  is  rare, 
useful,  and  beautiful  in  the  vegetable  kingdom  of  this  western 
continent,  and  where  the  murderous  gun  scarce  ever  intrudes, 
— the  Orchard  Oriole  revels  without  restraint,  through  thickets 
of  aromatic  flowers  and  blossoms;  and,  heedless  of  the  busy 
gardener  that  labours  below,  hangs  his  nest,  in  perfect  security, 
on  the  branches  over  his  head. 

The  female  sits  fourteen  days;  the  young  remain  in  the  nest 
ten  days  afterwards,*  before  they  venture  abroad,  which  is  ge- 
nerally about  the  middle  of  June.  Nests  of  this  species,  with 
eggs,  are  sometimes  found  so  late  as  the  twentieth  of  July,  which 
must  belong  to  birds  that  have  lost  their  first  nest;  or  it  is  pro- 
bable that  many  of  them  raise  two  broods  in  the  same  season, 
though  I  am  not  positive  of  the  fact. 

The  Orchard  Orioles  arrive  in  Pennsylvania  rather  later  than 
the  Baltimores,  commonly  about  the  first  week  in  May;  and 
extend  as  far  as  the  province  of  Maine.  They  are  also  more 
numerous  towards  the  mountains  than  the  latter  species.  In 
traversing  the  country  near  the  Blue  ridge,  in  the  month  of 
August,  I  have  seen  at  least  five  of  this  species  for  one  of  the 
Baltimore.  Early  in  September,  they  take  their  departure  for 
the  south;  their  term  of  residence  here  being  little  more  than 
four  months.  Previous  to  their  departure,  the  young  birds  be- 
come gregarious,  and  frequent  the  rich  extensive  meadows  of 
the  Schuylkill,  below  Philadelphia,  in  flocks  of  from  thirty  to 
forty  or  upwards.  They  are  easily  raised  from  the  nest,  and 
soon  become  agreeable  domestics.  One  which  I  reared  and  kept 
through  the  winter,  whistled  with  great  clearness  and  vivacity 
at  two  months  old.  It  had  an  odd  manner  of  moving  its  head 
and  neck  slowly  and  regularly,  and  in  various  directions,  when 
intent  on  observing  any  thing,  without  stirring  its  body.  This 
motion  was  as  slow  and  regular  as  that  of  a  snake.  When  at 
night  a  candle  was  brought  into  the  room,  it  became  restless 

*  There  is  evidently  some  mistake  here,  as  the  young  could  hardly  be 
fledged  in  ten  days. 
VOL.  I. — 3  G 


218  ORCHARD  ORIOLE. 

and  evidently  dissatisfied,  fluttering  about  the  cage  as  if  seeking 
to  get  out;  but  when  the  cage  was  placed  on  the  same  table  with 
the  candle,  it  seemed  extremely  well  pleased,  fed  and  drank, 
drest,  shook,  and  arranged  its  plumage,  sat  as  close  to  the  light 
as  possible,  and  sometimes  chanted  a  few  broken  irregular  notes 
in  that  situation,  as  I  sat  writing  or  reading  beside  it.  I  also 
kept  a  young  female  of  the  same  nest,  during  the  greatest  part 
of  winter,  but  could  not  observe,  in  that  time,  any  change  in  its 
plumage. 


p 

GENUS  16.     GRACULA.   GRAKLE. 

SPECIES  1.     GRACULA  FERRUGINEA. 

RUSTY  GRAKLE.* 
[Plate  XXL— Fig.  3.] 

Black  Oriole,  Arct.  Zool.  p.  259,  JVo.  \W.— Rusty  Oriole,  Ibid, 
p.  260,  JVb.  146.— JVete?  Fork  Thrush,  Ibid.  p.  339,  JVo.  205.— 
Hudsonian  Thrush,  Ibid.  «7Vo.  234,  female. — Labrador  Thrush, 
Ibid.  p.  340,  No.  206. — PEALE'S  Museum,  JVb.  5514. 

HERE  is  a  single  species  described  by  one  of  the  most  judi- 
cious naturalists  of  Great  Britain  no  less  than  five  different  times ! 
The  greater  part  of  these  descriptions  is  copied  by  succeeding 
naturalists,  whose  synonymes  it  is  unnecessary  to  repeat.  So 
great  is  the  uncertainty  in  judging,  from  a  mere  examination  of 
their  dried  or  stuffed  skins,  of  the  particular  tribes  of  birds, 
many  of  which,  for  several  years,  are  constantly  varying  in  the 
colours  of  their  plumage ;  and  at  different  seasons,  or  different 
ages,  assuming  new  and  very  different  appearances.  Even  the 
size  is  by  no  means  a  safe  criterion,  the  difference  in  this  respect 
between  the  male  and  female  of  the  same  species  (as  in  the  one 
now  before  us)  being  sometimes  very  considerable. 

This  bird  arrives  in  Pennsylvania,  from  the  north,  early  in 
October;  associates  with  the  Red-wings,  and  Cow-pen  Buntings, 
frequents  corn  fields,  and  places  where  grasshoppers  are  plenty ; 
but  Indian  corn,  at  that  season,  seems  to  be  its  principal  food. 
It  is  a  very  silent  bird,  having  only  now  and  then  a  single  note, 
or  chuck.  We  see  them  occasionally  until  about  the  middle  of 

*  The  Genus  Gracula,  as  at  present  restricted,  consists  of  only  a  single  spe- 
cies; the  others  formerly  included  in  it  have  been  distributed  in  other  genera. 
The  two  species  described  by  Wilson  belong  to  the  genus  Icterus  as  adopted 
by  Temminck. 


220  RUSTY  GRAKLK. 

November,  when  they  move  off  to  the  south.  On  the  twelfth  of 
January  I  overtook  great  numbers  of  these  birds  in  the  woods 
near  Petersburgh,  Virginia,  and  continued  to  see  occasional 
parties  of  them  almost  every  day  as  I  advanced  southerly,  par- 
ticularly in  South  Carolina,  around  the  rice  plantations,  where 
they  were  numerous;  feeding  about  the  hog-pens,  and  wherev- 
er Indian  corn  was  to  be  procured.  They  also  extend  to  a  con- 
siderable distance  westward.  On  the  fifth  of  March,  being  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  a  few  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Ken- 
tucky river,  in  the  midst  of  a  heavy  snow-storm,  a  flock  of  these 
birds  alighted  near  the  door  of  the  cabin  where  I  had  taken  shel- 
ter, several  of  which  I  shot,  and  found  their  stomachs,  as  usual, 
crammed  with  Indian  corn.  Early  in  April  they  pass  hastily 
through  Pennsylvania,  on  their  return  to  the  north  to  breed. 

From  the  accounts  of  persons  who  have  resided  near  Hud- 
son's Bay,  it  appears,  that  these  birds  arrive  there  in  the  begin- 
ning of  June,  as  soon  as  the  ground  is  thawed  sufficiently  for 
them  to  procure  their  food,  which  is  said  to  be  worms  and  mag- 
gots; sing  with  a  fine  note  till  the  time  of  incubation,  when 
they  have  only  a  chucking  noise,  till  the  young  take  their  flight: 
at  which  time  they  resume  their  song.  They  build  their  nests 
in  trees;  about  eight  feet  from  the  ground,  forming  them  with 
moss  and  grass,  and  lay  five  eggs  of  a  dark  colour,  spotted  with 
black.  It  is  added,  they  gather  in  great  flocks,  and  retire  south- 
erly in  September.* 

The  male  of  this  species,  when  in  perfect  plumage,  is  nine 
inches  in  length,  and  fourteen  in  extent;  at  a  small  distance  ap- 
pears wholly  black;  but  on  a  near  examination  is  of  a  glossy 
dark  green;  the  irides  of  the  eye  are  silvery,  as  in  those  of  the 
Purple  Grakle;  the  bill  is  black,  nearly  of  the  same  form  with 
that  of  the  last  mentioned  species;  the  lower  mandible  a  little 
rounded,  with  the  edges  turned  inward,  and  the  upper  one  fur- 
nished with  a  sharp  bony  process  on  the  inside,  exactly  like  that 
of  the  purple  species.  The  tongue  is  slender,  and  lacerated  at 

*  Arct.  Zool.  p.  259. 


RUSTY  GRAKLE.  221 

the  tip;  legs  and  feet  black  and  strong,  the  hind  claw  the  larg- 
est; the  tail  is  slightly  rounded.  This  is  the  colour  of  the  male 
when  of  full  age;  but  three-fourths  of  these  birds  which  we  meet 
with,  have  the  whole  plumage  of  the  breast,  head,  neck,  and 
back,  tinctured  with  brown,  every  feather  being  skirted  with 
ferruginous;  over  the  eye  is  a  light  line  of  pale  brown,  below 
that  one  of  black  passing  through  the  eye.  This  brownness 
gradually  goes  off  towards  spring,  for  almost  all  those  I  shot  in 
the  southern  states  were  but  slightly  marked  with  ferruginous. 
The  female  is  nearly  an  inch  shorter;  head,  neck,  and  breast, 
almost  wholly  brown;  a  light  line  over  the  eye,  lores  black; 
belly  and  rump  ash;  upper  and  under  tail-coverts  skirted  with 
brown;  wings  black,  edged  with  rust  colour;  tail  black,  glossed 
with  green;  legs,  feet  and  bill,  as  in  the  male. 

These  birds  might  easily  be  domesticated.  Several  that  I  had 
winged,  and  kept  for  some  time,  became  in  a  few  days  quite 
familiar,  seeming  to  be  very  easily  reconciled  to  confinement. 


SPECIES  2.   GRACULA  QUISKMLd. 
PURPLE  GRAKLE. 
[Plate  XXL— Fig.  4.] 

La  Fie  de  la  Jamaique,  BRISSON,  n,  41. — BUFFON,  in,  97,  PL  Enl. 
538. — Arct.  Zool.p.  309,  JVo.  154. — Gracula  purpurea,  the  les- 
ser Purple  Jackdaw,  or  Crow  Blackbird,  BARTRAM,  p.  291. — 
PEALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  1582.* 

THIS  noted  depredator  is  well  known  to  every  farmer  of  the 
northern  and  middle  states.  About  the  twentieth  of  March  the 
Purple  Grakles  visit  Pennsylvania  from  the  south,  fly  in  loose 
flocks,  frequent  swamps  and  meadows,  and  follow  in  the  furrows 
after  the  plough;  their  food  at  this  season  consisting  of  worms, 
grubs,  and  caterpillars,  of  which  they  destroy  prodigious  num- 
bers, as  if  to  recompense  the  husbandman  before  hand  for  the 
havock  they  intend  to  make  among  his  crops  of  Indian  corn. 
Towards  evening  they  retire  to  the  nearest  cedars  and  pine 
trees  to  roost;  making  a  continual  chattering  as  they  fly  along. 
On  the  tallest  of  these  trees  they  generally  build  their  nests  in 
company,  about  the  beginning  or  middle  of  April;  some- 
times ten  or  fifteen  nests  being  on  the  same  tree.  One  of  these 
nests,  taken  from  a  high  pine  tree,  is  now  before  me.  It  mea- 
sures full  five  inches  in  diameter  within,  and  four  in  depth;  is 
composed  outwardly  of  mud,  mixed  with  long  stalks  and  roots 
of  a  knotty  kind  of  grass,  and  lined  with  fine  bent  and  horse 
hair.  The  eggs  are  five,  of  a  bluish  olive  colour,  marked  with 
large  spots  and  straggling  streaks  of  black  and  dark  brown,  also 

*  We  add  the  following  synonymes:  Boat-tailed  Grakle,  LATH.  Gen.  Syn.  1, 
p.  460,  JVb.  5.— Maize-thief,  KALM'S  Travels.— Sturnus  quiscala,  DAUDIN,  2,  p. 
316.— Gracula  barita,  Journal  Acad.  Nat.  Sciences  of  Philad.  vol.  1,  p.  254.— 
Quiscala  versicolor,  BONAPARTE'S  Ornithology,  vol.  i,  p.  42,  pi.  V,  female. 


PURPLE  GRAKLE.  223 

with  others  of  a  fainter  tinge.    They  rarely  produce  more  than 
one  brood  in  a  season. 

The  trees  where  these  birds  build  are  often  at  no  great  dis- 
tance from  the  farm-house,  and  overlook  the  plantations.  From 
thence  they  issue,  in  all  directions,  and  with  as  much  confidence, 
to  make  their  daily  depredations  among  the  surrounding  fields, 
as  if  the  whole  were  intended  for  their  use  alone.  Their  chief 
attention,  however,  is  directed  to  the  Indian  corn  in  all  its  pro- 
gressive stages.  As  soon  as  the  infant  blade  of  this  grain  begins 
to  make  its  appearance  above  ground,  the  Grakles  hail  the  wel- 
come signal  with  screams  of  peculiar  satisfaction;  and  without 
waiting  for  a  formal  invitation  from  the  proprietor,  descend  on 
the  fields,  and  begin  to  pull  up  and  regale  themselves  on  the 
seed,  scattering  the  green  blades  around.  While  thus  eagerly 
employed,  the  vengeance  of  the  gun  sometimes  overtakes  them ; 
but  these  disasters  are  soon  forgotten,  and  those 

' who  live  to  get  away, 

Return  to  steal,  another  day.' 

About  the  beginning  of  August,  when  the  young  ears  are  in 
their  milky  state,  they  are  attacked  with  redoubled  eagerness 
by  the  Grakles  and  Red-wings,  in  formidable  and  combined 
bodies.  They  descend  like  a  blackening,  sweeping  tempest,  on 
the  corn,  dig  off  the  external  covering  of  twelve  or  fifteen  coats 
of  leaves,  as  dexterously  as  if  done  by  the  hand  of  man,  and 
having  laid  bare  the  ear,  leave  little  behind  to  the  farmer  but 
the  cobs,  and  shrivelled  skins  that  contained  their  favourite  fare. 
I  have  seen  fields  of  corn  of  many  acres,  where  more  than  one 
half  was  thus  ruined.  Indeed  the  farmers  in  the  immediate  vi- 
cinity of  the  rivers  Delaware  and  Schuylkill,  generally  allow 
one-fourth  of  this  crop  to  the  Blackbirds,  among  whom  our 
Grakle  comes  in  for  his  full  share.  During  these  depredations, 
the  gun  is  making  great  havock  among  their  numbers,  which 
has  no  other  effect  on  the  survivors  than  to  send  them  to  anoth- 
er field,  or  to  another  part  of  the  same  field.  This  system  of 
plunder  and  of  retaliation  continues  until  November,  when  to- 


224  PURPLE  GRAKLE. 

wards  the  middle  of  that  month  they  begin  to  sheer  off  towards 
the  south.  The  lower  parts  of  Virginia,  North  and  South  Car- 
olina, and  Georgia,  are  the  winter  residences  of  these  flocks. 
Here  numerous  bodies,  collecting  together  from  all  quarters  of 
the  interior  and  northern  districts,  and  darkening  the  air  with 
their  numbers,  sometimes  form  one  congregated  multitude  of 
many  hundred  thousands.  A  few  miles  from  the  banks  of  the 
Roanoke,  on  the  twentieth  of  January,  I  met  with  one  of  those 
prodigious  armies  of  Grakles.  They  rose  from  the  surrounding 
fields  with  a  noise  like  thunder,  and  descending  on  the  length 
of  road  before  me,  covered  it  and  the  fences  completely  with 
black;  and  when  they  again  rose,  and  after  a  few  evolutions  de- 
scended on  the  skirts  of  the  high  timbered  woods,  at  that  time 
destitute  of  leaves,  they  produced  a  most  singular  and  striking 
effect;  the  whole  trees  for  a  considerable  extent,  from  the  top 
to  the  lowest  branches,  seeming  as  if  hung  in  mourning;  their 
notes  and  screaming  the  meanwhile  resembling  the  distant  sound 
of  a  great  cataract,  but  in  more  musical  cadence,  swelling  and 
dying  away  on  the  ear  according  to  the  fluctuation  of  the  breeze- 
In  Kentucky,  and  all  along  the  Mississippi,  from  its  junction 
with  the  Ohio  to  the  Balize,  I  found  numbers  of  these  birds,  so 
that  the  Purple  Grakle  may  be  considered  as  a  very  general  in- 
habitant of  the  territory  of  the  United  States. 

Every  industrious  farmer  complains  of  the  mischief  commit- 
ted on  his  corn  by  the  Crow  Blackbirds,  as  they  are  usually 
called;  though  were  the  same  means  used,  as  with  pigeons,  to 
take  them  in  clap-nets,  multitudes  of  them  might  thus  be  de- 
stroyed; and  the  products  of  them  in  market,  in  some  measure 
indemnify  him  for  their  depredations.  But  they  are  most  nu- 
merous and  most  destructive  at  a  time  when  the  various  har- 
vests of  the  husbandman  demand  all  his  attention,  and  all  his 
hands  to  cut,  cure,  and  take  in;  and  so  they  escape  with  a  few 
sweeps  made  among  them  by  some  of  the  younger  boys,  with 
the  gun;  and  by  the  gunners  from  the  neighbouring  towns  and 
villages;  and  return  from  their  winter  quarters,  sometimes  ear- 
ly in  March,  to  renew  the  like  scenes  over  again.  As  some 


PURPLE  GRAKLE.  225 

consolation,  however,  to  the  industrious  cultivator,  I  can  assure 
him,  that  were  I  placed  in  his  situation,  I  should  hesitate  wheth- 
er to  consider  these  birds  most  as  friends  or  enemies,  as  they 
are  particularly  destructive  to  almost  all  the  noxious  worms, 
grubs,  and  caterpillars,  that  infest  his  fields,  which,  were  they 
allowed  to  multiply  unmolested,  would  soon  consume  nine-tenths 
of  all  the  production  of  his  labour,  and  desolate  the  country 
with  the  miseries  of  famine !  Is  not  this  another  striking  proof 
that  the  Deity  has  created  nothing  in  vain;  and  that  it  is  the  du- 
ty of  man,  the  lord  of  the  creation,  to  avail  himself  of  their  use- 
fulness, and  guard  against  their  bad  effects  as  securely  as  possi- 
ble, without  indulging  in  the  barbarous,  and  even  impious,  wish 
for  their  utter  extermination? 

The  Purple  Grakle  is  twelve  inches  long,  and  eighteen  in  ex- 
tent; on  a  slight  view  seems  wholly  black,  but  placed  near,  in 
a  good  light,  the  whole  head,  neck,  and  breast,  appear  of  a  rich 
glossy  steel  blue,  dark  violet  and  silky  green;  the  violet  prevails 
most  on  the  head  and  breast,  and  the  green  on  the  hind  part  of 
the  neck;  the  back,  rump,  and  whole  lower  parts,  the  breast 
excepted,  reflect  a  strong  coppery  gloss;  wing-coverts,  seconda- 
ries, and  coverts  of  the  tail,  rich  light  violet,  in  which  the  red 
prevails;  the  rest  of  the  wings,  and  cuneiform  tail,  are  black, 
glossed  with  steel  blue.  All  the  above  colours  are  extremely 
shining,  varying  as  differently  exposed  to  the  light;  iris  of  the 
eye  silvery;  bill  more  than  an  inch  long,  strong,  and  furnished 
on  the  inside  of  the  upper  mandible  with  a  sharp  process,  like 
the  stump  of  the  broken  blade  of  a  penknife,  intended  to  assist 
the  bird  in  masticating  its  food;  tongue  thin,  bifid  at  the  end, 
and  lacerated  along  the  sides. 

The  female  is  rather  less;  has  the  upper  part  of  the  head, 
neck  and  the  back,  of  a  dark  sooty  brown;  chin,  breast,  and 
belly,  dull  pale  brown,  lightest  on  the  former;  wings,  tail,  low- 
er parts  of  the  back  and  vent,  black,  with  a  few  reflections  of 
dark  green;  legs,  feet,  bill,  and  eyes,  as  in  the  male. 

The  Purple  Grakle  is  easily  tamed,  and  sings  in  confinement. 

VOL.  i. — 3  H 


226  PURPLE  GRAKLE. 

They  have  also,  in  several  instances,  been  taught  to  articulate 
some  few  words  pretty  distinctly. 

A  singular  attachment  frequently  takes  place  between  this 
bird  and  the  Fish-Hawk.  The  nest  of  this  latter  is  of  very  large 
dimensions,  often  from  three  to  four  feet  in  breadth,  and  from 
four  to  five  feet  high;  composed,  externally,  of  large  sticks,  or 
faggots,  among  the  interstices  of  which  sometimes  three  or  four 
pairs  of  Crow  Blackbirds  will  construct  their  nests,  while  the 
Hawk  is  sitting,  or  hatching  above.  Here  each  pursues  the  du- 
ties of  incubation,  and  of  rearing  their  young;  living  in  the 
greatest  harmony,  and  mutually  watching  and  protecting  each 
other's  property  from  depredators. 

NOTE — The  Gracula  quiscala  of  the  tenth  edition  of  the 
Systema  Naturae  was  established  upon  Catesby's  Purple  Jack- 
daw. This  bird  is  common  in  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Florida, 
where  it  is  still  known  by  the  name  of  Jackdaw;  whereas  the 
Purple  Grakle  of  Wilson  is  called  Blackbird,  or  Crow  Black- 
bird. The  latter  is  also  common  in  the  States  south  of  Virginia; 
but  the  Jackdaw,  after  rearing  its  young,  retires  further  south 
on  the  approach  of  Winter;  whereas  the  Purple  Grakle  hyemates 
in  the  southern  section  of  our  union,  and  migrates,  in  the  spring, 
to  the  middle  and  northern  states,  to  breed.  The  female  of  the 
Crow  Blackbird  is  dark  sooty-brown  and  black;  the  female  of  the 
Jackdaw,  is  "  all  over  brown,"  agreeably  to  Catesby's  descrip- 
tion. This  author  states  the  weight  of  the  Jackdaw  to  be  six 
ounces:  the  weight  of  the  Crow  Blackbird  seldom  exceeds  four 
ounces  and  a  half.  That  the  two  species  have  been  confounded 
there  is  no  doubt;  and  it  is  not  easy  to  disembroil  the  confusion 
into  which  they  have  been  thrown  by  naturalists,  who  have 
never  had  an  opportunity  of  visiting  the  native  regions  of  both. 
It  is  evident  that  Catesby  thought  there  was  but  one  species  of 
these  birds  in  Carolina,  otherwise  he  would  have  discovered, 
that  those  which  he  observed,  during  the  winter,  in  great  flocks, 
were  different  from  his  Jackdaws,  which  is  the  proper  summer 
resident  of  that  State,  although  it  is  probable  that  some  of  the 


PURPLE  GRAKLE.  227 

Crow  Blackbirds  are  also  indigenous.  The  true  Gracula  barita 
of  Linnaeus  is  not  yet  satisfactorily  ascertained;  the  Boat-tailed 
Grakle  of  Latham's  General  Synopsis,  is  unquestionably  the 
Purple  Grakle  of  Wilson.  The  best  figures  of  the  Purple  Jack- 
daw which  we  have  seen,  are  those  given  in  Bonaparte's  Ornith- 
ology, vol.  1,  pi.  4.  They  were  drawn  by  Mr.  Alexander  Ri- 
der of  Philadelphia,  (not  by  Mr.  Audubon,  as  is  stated,)  from 
specimens  brought  from  East  Florida,  by  Mr.  Titian  Peale  and 
myself. — G.  Ord. 


GENUS  20.     CUCULUS  CUCKOO* 

SPECIES  1.     CUCULUS  CAROLINENSIS. 

YELLOW-BILLED  CUCKOO. 

[Plate  XX VIII. —Fig.   1.] 

M|. 

Cuculus  Jlmericanus,  LINN.  %s£.  erf.  10,  p.  Ill — CATESB.  i,  9. — 
LATH,  i,  537. — Le  Coucou  de  la  Caroline.  Baiss.  iv,  112. — 
Arct.  Zool  265,  JVo.  155.— PEALE'S  Museum,  JVo.  1778. 

A  STRANGER  who  visits  the  United  States  for  the  purpose 
of  examining  their  natural  productions,  and  passes  through  our 
woods  in  the  month  of  May  or  June,  will  sometimes  hear,  as 
he  traverses  the  borders  of  deep,  retired,  high  timbered  hol- 
lows, an  uncouth  guttural  sound  or  note,  resembling  the  sylla- 
bles kowe,  kowe,  kowe  kowe  kowe!  beginning  slowly,  but  end- 
ing so  rapidly,  that  the  notes  seem  to  run  into  each  other,  and 
vice  versa;  he  will  hear  this  frequently  without  being  able  to 
discover  the  bird  or  animal  from  which  it  proceeds,  as  it  is 
both  shy  and  solitary,  seeking  always  the  thickest  foliage  for 
concealment.  This  is  the  Yellow-billed  Cuckoo,  the  subject  of 
the  present  account.  From  the  imitative  sound  of  its  note,  it  is 
known  in  many  parts  by  the  name  of  the  Cow-bird;  it  is  also 
called  in  Virginia  the  Rain-Crow,  being  observed  to  be  most 
clamorous  immediately  before  rain. 

This  species  arrives  in  Pennsylvania,  from  the  south,  about 
the  twenty-second  of  April,  and  spreads  over  the  country  as 
far  at  least  as  lake  Ontario;  is  numerous  in  the  Chickasaw  and 
Chactaw  nations;  and  also  breeds  in  the  upper  parts  of  Georgia; 
preferring  in  all  these  places  the  borders  of  solitary  swamps, 

*  This  genus  has  been  considerably  restricted  by  recent   ornithologists. 
The  two  species  referred  by  Wilson  to  their  genus  belong1  to  the  genus  Coa«'f 
ci/cus  of  Vieillot,  adopted  by  Temminck. 


YELLOW-BILLED  CUCKOO.  229 

and  apple  orchards.  It  leaves  us,  on  its  return  southward,  about 
the  middle  of  September. 

The  singular,  I  will  not  say  unnatural,  conduct  of  the  Euro- 
pean Cuckoo,  (Cuculus  canorus)  which  never  constructs  a 
nest  for  itself,  but  drops  its  eggs  in  those  of  other  birds,  and 
abandons  them  to  their  mercy  and  management,  is  so  univer- 
sally known,  and  so  proverbial,  that  the  whole  tribe  of  Cuckoos 
have,  by  some  inconsiderate  people,  been  stigmatized  as  desti- 
tute of  all  parental  care  and  affection.  Without  attempting  to 
account  for  this  remarkable  habit  of  the  European  species,  far 
less  to  consider  as  an  error  what  the  wisdom  of  Heaven  has 
imposed  as  a  duty  on  the  species,  I  will  only  remark,  that  the 
bird  now  before  us  builds  its  own  nest,  hatches  its  own  eggs, 
and  rears  its  own  young;  and  in  conjugal  and  parental  affection 
seems  nowise  behind  any  of  its  neighbours  of  the  grove. 

Early  in  May  they  begin  to  pair,  when  obstinate  battles  take 
place  among  the  males.  About  the  tenth  of  that  month  they 
commence  building.  The  nest  is  usually  fixed  among  the  hor- 
izontal branches  of  an  apple-tree;  sometimes  in  a  solitary  thorn, 
crab  or  cedar,  in  some  retired  part  of  the  woods.  It  is  construct- 
ed with  little  art,  and  scarcely  any  concavity,  of  small  sticks 
and  twigs,  intermixed  with  green  weeds,  and  blossoms  of  the 
common  maple.  On  this  almost  flat  bed,  the  eggs,  usually  three 
or  four  in  number,  are  placed;  these  are  of  a  uniform  greenish 
blue  colour,  and  of  a  size  proportionable  to  that  of  the  bird. 
While  the  female  is  sitting,  the  male  is  generally  not  far  dis- 
tant, and  gives  the  alarm  by  his  notes,  when  any  person  is  ap- 
proaching. The  female  sits  so  close,  that  you  may  almost  reach 
her  with  your  hand,  and  then  precipitates  herself  to  the  ground, 
feigning  lameness  to  draw  you  away  from  the  spot,  fluttering, 
trailing  her  wings,  and  tumbling  over,  in  the  manner  of  the 
Partridge,  Woodcock,  and  many  other  species.  Both  parents 
unite  in  providing  food  for  the  young.  This  consists  for  the 
most  part  of  caterpillars,  particularly  such  as  infest  apple-trees. 
The  same  insects  constitute  the  chief  part  of  their  own  suste- 
nance. They  are  accused,  and  with  some  justice,  of  sucking  the 


230  YELLOW-BILLED  CUCKOO. 

eggs  another  birds,  like  the  Crow,  the  Blue  Jay,  and  other  pil- 
lagers.? They  also  occasionally  eat  various  kinds  of  berries. 
But  from  the  circumstance  of  destroying  such  numbers  of  very 
noxious  larvae,  they  prove  themselves  the  friends  of  the  farmer, 
and  are  highly  deserving  of  his  protection. 

The  Yellow-billed  Cuckoo  is  thirteen  inches  long,  and  six- 
teen inches  in  extent;  the  whole  upper  parts  are  of  a  dark  glos- 
sy drab,  or  what  is  usually  called  a  Quaker  colour,  with  green- 
ish silky  reflections;  from  this  must  however  be  excepted,  the 
inner  vanes  of  the  wings,  which  are  bright  reddish  cinnamon; 
the  tail  is  long,  composed  of  ten  feathers,  the  two  middle  ones 
being  of  the  same  colour  as  the  back,  the  others  which  gradual- 
ly shorten  to  the  exterior  ones,  are  black,  largely  tipt  with 
white;  the  two  outer  ones  are  scarcely  half  the  length  of  the 
middle  ones;  the  whole  lower  parts  are  pure  white;  the  feath- 
ers covering  the  thighs  being  large  like  those  of  the  Hawk  tribe; 
the  legs  and  feet  are  light  blue,  the  toes  placed  two  before,  and 
two  behind,  as  in  the  rest  of  the  genus;  the  bill  is  long,  a  little 
bent,  very  broad  at  the  base,  dusky  black  above,  and  yellow 
below;  the  eye  hazel,  feathered  close  to  the  eyelid,  which  is 
yellow.  The  female  differs  little  from  the  male;  the  four  mid- 
dle tail-feathers  in  her  are  of  the  same  uniform  drab ;  and  the 
white,  with  which  the  others  are  tipt,  not  so  pure  as  in  the  male. 

In  examining  this  bird  by  dissection,  the  inner  membrane  of 
the  gizzard,  which  in  many  other  species  is  so  hard  and  mus- 
cular, in  this  is  extremely  lax  and  soft,  capable  of  great  disten- 
sion; and,  what  is  remarkable,  is  covered  with  a  growth  of  fine 
down  or  hair,  of  a  light  fawn  colour.  It  is  difficult  to  ascertain 
the  particular  purpose  which  nature  intends  by  this  excrescence; 
perhaps  it  may  serve  to  shield  the  tender  parts  from  the  irrita- 
ing  effects  produced  by  the  hairs  of  certain  caterpillars,  some 
of  which  are  said  to  be  almost  equal  to  the  sting  of  a  nettle. 


SPECIES  2.   CUCULUS  ERYTHROPHTHALMUS. 

BLACK-BILLED  CUCKOO. 

[Plate  XXVIII. —Fig.  2.] 

PE ALE'S  Museum ,  JVo.  1854. 

THIS  Cuckoo  is  nearly  as  numerous  as  the  former;  but  has 
hitherto  escaped  the  notice  of  European  naturalists;  or  from  its 
general  resemblance  has  been  confounded  with  the  preceding. 
Its  particular  markings,  however,  and  some  of  its  habits,  suffi- 
ciently characterize  it  as  a  distinct  species.  Its  general  colour 
above  is  nearly  that  of  the  former,  inclining  more  to  a  pale  ash 
on  the  cheeks  and  front;  it  is  about  an  inch  less  in  length;  the 
tail  is  of  a  uniform  dark  silky  drab,  except  at  the  tip,  where 
each  feather  is  marked  with  a  spot  of  white,  bordered  above 
with  a  slight  touch  of  dull  black;  the  bill  is  wholly  black,  and 
much  smaller  than  that  of  the  preceding;  and  it  wants  the  bright 
cinnamon  on  the  wings.  But  what  constitutes  its  most  distin- 
guishing trait  is  a  bare  wrinkled  skin,  of  a  deep  red  colour,  that 
surrounds  the  eye.  The  female  differs  little  in  external  appear- 
ance from  the  male. 

The  Black-billed  Cuckoo  is  particularly  fond  of  the  sides  of 
creeks,  feeding  on  small  shell-fish,  snails,  &c.  I  have  also  often 
found  broken  pieces  of  oyster-shells  in  its  gizzard,  which,  like 
that  of  the  other,  is  covered  with  fine  downy  hair. 

The  nest  of  this  bird  is  most  commonly  built  in  a  cedar,  much 
in  the  same  manner,  and  of  nearly  the  same  materials,  as  that  of 
the  other;  but  the  eggs  are  smaller,  usually  four  or  five  in  num- 
ber, and  of  a  rather  deeper  greenish  blue. 

This  bird  is  likewise  found  in  the  state  of  Georgia,  and  has 
not  escaped  the  notice  of  Mr.  Abbot,  who  is  satisfied  of  its  be- 
ing a  distinct  species  from  the  preceding. 

END  OP  VOL.  i. 


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